DC Gothic - Young Justice 1
by gothicjedi666
Summary: My Young Justice SI. It might not seem like much now, but I have some fun things planned for this story, so please give it a chance.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note**

A while ago I was asked to do a Young Justice story. I did consider having Red-X join such that group, as his skills would be useful for a covert superhero team, I then talked the idea over with Takao-kun, who came up with some good ideas. However due to the problems I had adjusting things to make Young Justice work with my Red-X stories, I decided to scrap that and start over with a fresh Gothic.

This Gothic joins the team after spending a year being trained as an assassin by the Order of Dumas. They did a lot of brainwashing to him after he appeared miraculously as those fanatics thought he'd been sent to them to become the next Azrael. Only it didn't work out for them as Gothic's mental shields prevented the programming from taking hold. So this Gothic kept the skills, but remained himself, more or less.

Those of you who don't have a great knowledge of the DC comics may only know Azrael as the persona Doctor Strange gave to Theo Galavan, and that will give you some idea of what this Gothic will be capable of doing. But that Azrael was nothing compared to the real thing. To give an example one of the men who was Azrael was skilled enough to take over from Batman in the Knightfall comics.

Naturally more will be explained about this new Azrael in the story. I don't want to say too much now and spoil things.

One last thing, if you haven't seen Young Justice then this story will make little sense so only read if you're a fan.

 **DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 1**

 **The Hall of Justice**

"Robin, Aqualad, Speedy, Gothic and Kid Flash welcome" The green-skinned shape shifter greeted "You now have access to our kitchen, gym, and library".

The Hall of Justice was an impressive place, but I knew it was only a cover. The real action was taking place up in orbit on board the Watchtower.

"Please make yourselves at home" the Man-hunter then said as he other older heroes started to have a private talk.

Upon finishing my year long training course with the Order of Dumar, I had been presented with many powerful items. One of those was the Mask of Azrael, which enhanced my senses, including my hearing. Thanks to the mask I was able to hear everything the Justice League members were now talking about.

"Quick debrief to discuss why four Ice villains attacked on the same day" Batman said to his peers before turning to us "We shouldn't be long".

I watched them walk over to a door that red 'Members Only' then I saw a small camera came out of the ceiling, which in turn scanned each hero.

 _"Recognized Batman 02, Aquaman 06, Flash 04, Green Arrow 08, Martian Manhunter 07, Red Tornado 16"._

I figured they were heading up to the Watchtower and that the teleporter was in the back, were the public couldn't see.

"That's it?!" someone then shouted.

We all turned to look at Speedy, Green Arrows' sidekick, and he did not look like he was a happy camper.

"You promised us a real look inside, not a glorified Backstage pass" the archer complained.

Aquaman took a step forward before addressing the side-kicks and myself.

"This is the first step" said the King of the Sea "You've been granted access few others have".

Speedy gestured to the tourist who were looking at us through the windows. Their presence here did rather diminish Aquaman's words.

"Who cares what side of the glass we're on!" Speedy yelled.

Green Arrow walked over to him, and spoke up.

"Calm down Roy" he urged "You just need to be patient".

Speedy glared at him for a moment before replying.

"What I need is respect" he said before turning to where Robin, Kid Flash and I were relaxing "They're still treating us like kids, like side-kicks".

I'd never been anyone's sidekick nor was I child, and they were treating me exactly the same way so I didn't agree.

"Throwing a temper tantrum when things don't go your way is what makes you seem like a child" I told him "and you'll notice that while I was never a side-kick they don't treat me any differently than you".

Robin at least had listened to my words.

"Who are you?" he asked.

That was a simple question with a very complex answer.

"My name is Gothic" I told him, that being the name I'd chosen for myself when I'd not become Azrael as expected "I'm from another dimension. When I was transported here I was 'de-aged' a few years and I ended up in the care of the Order of Dumas, who thought I had been sent to them to become the next Azrael".

I'd thought that would involve me becoming an assassin who would once ready be armed and armoured with powerful artefacts before being sent out to kill all the super villains. That had been something I could get behind as in my view a lot of the crooks in this world did need a good stabbing, but that hadn't been the truth of things.

As for the the artefacts, I had those. Aside from the Mask, I wore a more modern day version of the Armour of Sorrows, which was something I could only describe as motorcycle fetish meets Assassins Creed. It was leather and metal, also there was enough power in it to protect me from things like bullets and knives while also granting me greater strength, speed and agility.

Aside from the armour I had two swords, the Sword of Salvation and the Swords of Sins, both of which seemed to be normal blade, right up until the will of those who wielded them decided otherwise. Then they transformed into magical weapons that were incapable of harming the innocent but to evil doers their power to effect the mind was horrific. Anyone struck by the swords underwent a neurological reaction, and became overwhelmed by the burden of their past tragedies. Most after recovering would start to reconsider their life choices.

The Sword of Sin could be ignited by the will of the wielder, setting the blade on the fire. The sword also has the ability to conjure in the mind its victims all of the sins for which they are guilty of or have not atoned for.

Like the Sword of Salvation, it was also capable of cleaving right through a target without leaving any physical mark meaning it didn't damage a person's body unless I wished it to. Most of the time it would the psychological effect that would disable an enemy.

If used on a target at the same time as the Sword of Salvation, it could bring up both the sins and guilt of a person, as well the reasons behind them in the mind of the target. Few people could withstand such a thing.

According to what the Monks of the Order of Dumar had told me only the most evil of people wouldn't reform their ways after that experience, because either they were pure of heart, and therefore couldn't be harmed by my swords or because they were so irredeemably evil that killing them became the best option.

"What they didn't tell me was that Azrael is a personality they impose on the man they chose to be their assassin" I then told the side-kicks "I was suppose to have become Azrael the Avenging Angel. It didn't work, so I took the name Gothic".

I still had more to say.

"Once the brainwashing failed the Order decided to kill me, but they came under attack by the League of Shadows" I then added "In all the confusion I got away and soon after that I met Batman".

Actually I'd gone to Wayne Manor and had asked for Batman rather than Bruce Wayne, and then I'd explained who I was, and what had happened to me. Naturally the Dark Knight had decided to keep me close to the League because of the things I knew.

"And I was hoping to see the Watchtower"... I then started to say.

Before I could speak further I was interrupted.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'the Watchtower'?" Kid Flash asked the older heroes.

Speedy, who now tired of being ignored, spoke up.

"The Hall isn't their H.Q" he informed those not in the know "They have a secret H.Q. A giant orbital satellite".

Batman directed his glare to Green Arrow while Aquaman tried to calm things down.

"You're not helping your cause here son" the monarch of the seas said "Stand down".

Speedy did some more glaring.

"Or what?" the archer asked "You going to send me to my room? I'm not your son.. I'm not even his".

Speedy then grabbed his hat and threw to the ground, it was all very dramatic.

"I thought I was his partner" he then said in a much softer voice "Not anymore"

Speedy then moved to leave, but before he got to the door he turned to face the other side-kicks.

"They were right about you three" he told Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad "You're not ready".

With that the archer was gone, and I was not sorry to see him go.

"Has he always been such a drama queen?" I asked.

Before Green Arrow could say anything, the alarm on the computer beside the members only door went off. Suddenly, a man popped up on-screen. Only he was no ordinary man.

 _"Superman to the League"_ the Man of Tomorrow said over the screen _"A fire has broken out at Project Cadmus"_

Batman responded to the call.

"I've had my suspicions of Cadmus for some time now" the Dark Knight stated.

Suddenly a small screen came up with another man, and I had no idea who he was, he looked like a stage magician.

 _"Zatara to the League"_ the unknown man said _"Wotan is planning to blot out the sun. I request that the entire League respond"._

Batman glanced up at the image of the Man of Steel

"Superman?" he asked.

The big blue boyscout looked thoughtful for a seconds before replying.

 _"It's a small fire"_ the boy scout said _"the local firefighters can take care of it"_

Batman nodded before turning to the other older heroes

"Alright we'll handle Wotan" he said to his peers before turning to address the side-kicks and myself "Stay here".

Robin looked at him in shock.

"What why?" he wished to know.

He was given an answer.

"I still don't know much about Cadmus" Gotham's Grim Guardian explained "My informant couldn't get anything concrete, and until I know more I'm not sending anyone near their base".

That was in my view very wise, as I knew a lot about Cadmus, or at least some versions of it.

Red Tornado turned to Martian Manhunter and whispered something. I was able to hear it.

"Glad you didn't bring you know who?" the machine asked.

The Martian Manhunter nodded.

"Indeed" he said.

With that the members of the League walked out, and I was left wondering if I would have been better of being de-aged a bit more and sent off to join the Teen Titans. But Batman had plans for these side-kicks, of that I was sure, and for reasons of his own he wanted me with them.

"I thought they trusted us" Aqualad said sourly.

Right now I was wondering why Batman hadn't turned the computer off when he'd left. It had to be part of his master plan, whatever that was.

"Trust?" said Kid Flash with a snort "They don't trust us with the basics. Come on they have a secret H.Q. in space and we weren't told. I mean they told leather boy over there!".

Actually they hadn't. I just figured there was a Watchtower, as the Justice League normally had one.

"What else aren't they telling us?" Robin wondered.

My thinking was that there was a few things that they weren't telling us.

"I've got a better question" Kid Flash then said "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

This query I decided to answer.

"Because hopefully you're more mature than he is" I said.

The side-kicks then all looked at me, and so I felt compelled to say more.

"You all have the potential to be great heroes" I told them "You wouldn't have made this far if that wasn't the case, and I think Speedy just failed an important test. Be patient you'll figure out what's going on".

The side-kicks then spent a moment thinking about what I had just said.

"What is 'Project Cadmus'?" Aqualad then inquired.

Robin shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know" replied the Boy Wonder "But I can find out"

After walking up to the computer, Robin quickly typed something in.

 _"Access Denied"_ the computer stated.

Robin smirked and then he started to do what I could only call expert hacking.

"Dude.. How are you doing this?" asked Kid Flash.

Robin continued to type before answering.

"Same as the computer in the cave" he told us.

 _"Access Granted"_

A picture of a building came up as did some information, which Robin read through very quickly.

"Project Cadmus.. A genetics Lab. Here in D.C... If Batman's suspicious.. That's more than enough reason to check it out" Bird Boy muttered.

Aqualad spoke next.

"Solve their mystery before they do" he said "It would be poetic justice".

I suspicious of how easily Robin had hacked a computer that Batman used. I didn't think it should have been as easy as he made it look.

"But they did tell us to stay put" Aqualad then added.

Robin gave his fellow side-kick a smirk.

"No they told us to stay out of the sun mission" reminded the Boy Wonder "Not from this".

That was odd, someone was blocking out the sun. I'd have thought that such a situation would require everyone's help. Also to me it seemed odd that Superman had called the League about a fire when he could have just flown there and put the fire out in less time than it would take for him to call Batman and discuss it.

"You're serious?" Kid Flash wanted to know "If you're going, I'm going".

Once Aqualad agreed they all turned to me.

"Fine" was all I said.

I was pretty sure that this whole thing was a test set up by the Dark Knight, and if nothing else it would be good to get some practical experience.


	2. Chapter 2

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 2**

 **CADMUS. DC.  
**

I watched as an explosion sent two scientists flying out of the building, and by the looks of things they were going to fall to the ground. It was one of those moments in life were everything seems to slow down, which would explain why I was able to see Kid Flash dash up the wall, and catch the two eggheads. Normally he moved to fast to be seen.

"Hey it's Flash Boy!" I heard someone yell.

While everyone was looking at the super fast guy I used a grappling hook to get to the roof of the CADMUS building. This was part of the plan, Kid was the distraction that would allow Robin and I to ninja our way inside the building without being noticed.

"It's Kid Flash!" the red head yelled "Why is that so hard to remember?"

When I got to the roof I looked down to on the street to see that Aqualad's tattoos, or whatever they were, had lit up, and that he was grabbing the handles of whatever it was he kept on his backpack.

"I need to borrow that" he said.

Using his super power he pulled the water from a hose towards him, and then he made a pillar from it. Next he rode the water the two scientists, and brought them down on a sort of water slide, which was cool. How he got into the building was something I didn't see as I was busy making my own way inside the CADMUS base.

"Thanks for the help." Aqualad said sarcastically when he had caught up.

I assumed he was talking to us all so I replied.

"You handled it alright by yourself" I commented "besides I'm not equipped to save people from burning buildings".

I might have the magic weapons and armour of a made up angel, but I was trained to fight and kill people not go about saving them.

"This is wrong" I heard Robin mutter.

The Boy Wonder did the whole hacker thing for a few more moments before he spoke further.

"I just got control of the elevator" he told us "and if I'm reading things right, this place is like an iceberg, most of its hidden. There's lots of floors underground".

And logically they would keep the good stuff as deep underground as they possible could, which meant we needed to go deep down.

"I guess Batman was right to suspect this place" Robin then added "They're hiding something important here".

Once the shaft was open the Boy Wonder and I then used our grapple guns, gifts given to us by the Dark Knight, so that we could safely go down. I could tell while going down that there were indeed a lot more floors than it looked from the outside.

Robin typed on his computer some more once we had reached the lowest level, and I found myself admiring his hacking skills. Hopefully in the future he'd have the time teach me a few tricks.

"Alright security's cleared" he soon said.

Aqualad pried opened the door, and walked in the hall. As soon as he could Kid Flash sped ahead.

"Kid wait!" Aqualad called out.

We raced to catch up, and when we did we found that Kid Flash had run in to a herd of giant mammoth looking creatures. Oddly they ignored us and so in turn we left them alone. However I didn't think that the next living thing we ran into would be so dismissive of us.

As it turned out I was right, we ran into something that seemed demonic to me, and that was when I felt an urge to attack. I didn't know if it was due to my own fear of the creature or because Azrael was somehow part of me, and I didn't have much time to think about that as soon we were running away from the creature as fast as we could.

"I've disabled the door." Robin said once had had made inside a room "We should be safe in here".

Those sounded like famous last words to me.

"Uhh Guys!" called out Kid Flash "You're so gonna wanna see this".

As we all moved towards the fast guy lights came on and that showed us two teens, one male, and another female asleep in tubes. The male had black hair that was cut short, and even in his pod he was noticeably tall, and muscular. The female had dark hair as well that reached just below her shoulders, and she had huge breasts I couldn't fail to notice. Also both of them wore white outfits that had Superman's shield on them.

While the rest of us just stared Robin was already at a computer and again he was muttering as he worked.

"Superboy and Power Girl" I heard him say "Clones forced grown in only sixteen weeks!".

Which suggested they were needed urgently for something very important, and I wondered what that was.

"D.N.A acquired from Superman for Superboy, and... it doesn't say" he then muttered "Superman and Wonder Woman for Power Girl. It says they needed human DNA to make the clones, but it doesn't say why".

Given who her parents were I made a mental note never to piss off this Power Girl. Plus she could be this universe's version of Galatea, and that chick was nuts. Also at first I figured she would be the more powerful of the two, but then I remembered that Wonder Woman used magical items to enhance herself like I did so Power Girl might not be more deadly than her brother.

"They force feed them information" Robin was now saying "And other things.. They're making slaves out of.. Superman's son and daughter".

This could be very bad.

"Now we call the League" Aquadlad decided.

Sadly that wasn't possible. I discovered this for myself when I tried to call the Hall of Justice.

"How about the computer Robin?" the water using hero then asked "Can we call them using it".

Robin shook his head.

"Nope" he reported "Sorry, we're totally cut off from the rest of the world".

Which was bad news.

"Let them out" Aqualad then said.

I did not approve of this idea.

"No, wait" I said.

It was too late, the Boy Blunder had already hit the button, and a second later the tubes opened. Superboy, and Power Girl opened their eyes, and then they rushed us. I drew my blades and sliced at Superboy as he came at me, only nothing happened. They passed harmlessly threw him, however his attack sent me flying into the wall.

"Wait we're here to help!" I heard someone yell.

Those words did nothing to stop Superboy from punching me in the face.

(Line Break)

 **CADMUS. DC.**

I head myself groan as I woke up, and upon looking around I found that everyone on my side were tied up in tubes. I then saw Superboy, and Power Girl standing in front of us

"Hey, we only want to help you!" Kid Flash yelled.

I didn't bother to try freeing myself as I couldn't even move.

"The Genomorphs taught you about us" Robin was now saying "Telepathically"

I got the feeling that I'd missed out on at least part of an important conversation.

"Yes" Power Girl was saying "We can read and write. And we know names of things".

Considering that they were only three and a half months old they were very, very, very, advanced for their ages, and thinking about that made me feel perverted because I found myself thinkg that Power Girl was hot. Which was sick because she was a baby even if she looked grown up.

"But have you seen them?" Aqualad asked the science projects "Have you ever been outside? Seen the sun?"

Superboy looked down before replying.

"Images have been put in our minds" was all he had to say

Aqualad sighed before talking to them some more

"Do you even know what you are?" he went on to ask them "Who you are?".

I noticed that Robin was getting lose, and that made me smile beneath my mask. Which the lab rats hadn't removed.

"We are Superboy and Power Girl" the male experiment replied "We were created to replace the Superman and Wonder Woman should they perish".

And I doubted they were meant only as replacements should the worst happen. That wasn't CADMUS's style.

"To be like them is a worthy aspiration" Aqualad was now telling them "But like them you deserve a life of your own, beyond all of this"

That seemed to upset the science projects.

"We're alive because of Cadmus!" Superboy yelled "This is our home!"

Robin then spoke, even as still he worked to free himself.

"Your home is just a basement" he said "We can show you the sun".

He then corrected himself.

"Well it's after midnight" he told them "But we can show you the moon".

By now it seemed clear where we were going with this.

"And you babe a good time" Flash added.

I then spoke.

"And in a few hours the sun will be up" I said

Everyone looked at me.

"Well it will" I told them "Sunrises are nice to look at".

Aqualad thankfully took over at this point.

"Superboy. Powergirl Girl" he said "You are living being, that gives you the right to follow your own paths. You are people not weapons".

Robin then spoke.

"Ask yourselves" he said "What would Superman and Wonder Woman do?"

Apparently it involved wreaking the shit out of everything. Which was pretty normal for those two.

(Line Break)

 **CADMUS. DC**

"Well there's the moon" Kid Flash said as the lab rats looked up into the sky "Take a good look".

It was a nice sight I had to admit, although it had much more to do with no longer being stuck underground than the moon itself.

"Is that a bird?" I heard Kid Flash when we saw something flying towards us with the moon behind it "Maybe a plane?"

It was in fact Superman, who flew down to join us and he was soon followed by other members of the League. Those that couldn't fly, or for some reason wished not to, had been transported to us by Green Lantern in a big green coloured bubble.

"So let me get this straight" the Man of Steel said "You hacked our computers, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again".

Superman began to lecture us even more, but after taking off my mask and pulling down my hood. I raised a hand and spoke firmly enough to be heard.

"So Batman did we pass your test?" I asked.

Everyone looked at the Dark Knight, he didn't say anything so I decided to explain what was going on here. I felt very sure of myself right now, which was as odd because I was standing here with most of the Justice League and they were made at me. By all rights I really should have scared out of my wits.

"This was a test" I stated "Why else would Superman call the League about a simple fire, which he could put out with his super breathe, and as for CADMUS being unknown, he could have just scanned it with his X-ray vision in order to gain intel".

That had seemed odd, but it was something else that made me certain that Batman had set this all up.

"Then there was the computer" I went on to say "Robin is a good hacker, but it only took him seconds. Batman would never leave such sensitive information on a computer that could be accessed so easily. He's simply not that sloppy".

I still wasn't done.

"You knew there was something here the League needed to find" I then said "But like you guys mentioned before, you're all too high profile, so you needed us to break in".

Batman nodded and that caused a heated discussion between several members of the League to begin. Which allowed the side-kicks to introduce Wonder Woman to her daughter. Superman didn't seem interested in talking to either of us sort of children.

Robin then explained about the origins of the science projects. While that was going on I moved away and Batman followed me.

"I see how you figured out that I set this all up as a test" he said "But why do you think the others didn't suspect".

I'd got the impression that not all of the Justice League had been on this test. The Man of Steel had seemed to be upset by the sight of us standing in so much rubble. But some of the others hadn't. That was typical of Batman, he liked to information confined to as few people as possible.

"They trust you" I answered as I raised my hood up "I'm less trusting".

That got me a nod of approval.

"Once we're finished here I have something to show you" Batman then said "I think you'll like it".

While I had my theories on what was going to happen next I didn't know for sure so I was looking forward to finding out what he had planned next.


	3. Chapter 3

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 3**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Habour.**

Batman had smartly stashed me in a safe house not long after I'd dropped by Wayne Manor, and since I'd been living with monks for the last year I hadn't exactly been overburdened with possessions so packing up my stuff for the move to Mount Justice had not exactly been a chore.

"Red Tornado has volunteered to live here as your supervisor, and Black Canary will be your trainer" the Dark Knight told us as we looked around the central room "and I'll be giving you missions".

So far I'd not seen much of this place, but already I was impressed. It would make a fine base of operations for a covert team.

"Real missions?" Robin asked

Batman nodded.

"Yes.. but covert missions" he then said.

Flash spoke up after Batman.

"The League will still handle the public stuff" the fastest man alive told us "You know the take over the world types, and the alien invasions. The stuff that ends up on the news".

Aquaman continued after the Flash.

"Cadmus showed us that the villains are getting smarter" he said "Batman needs a team that can operate under the radar and the things those of us the public eye can not".

Off to the side beside Red Tornado was young woman, with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slender yet toned build. She was wearing a black, one-piece bustier-leotard combination along with black calf-length boots; black finger-less gloves. Also she had on a blue jacket, and a black choker. I'd have known that she was Black Canary even if her name hadn't been mentioned.

"I think she's a little old for you" Kid said while giving me a nudge "or maybe she likes younger men".

To be fair I had been staring, and it was easy to tell since I wasn't wearing my mask. In fact I wasn't even wearing my armour. Instead I was dressed in all black clothing that I wore under a leather jacket I'd been able to buy thanks to Batman. He was paying me to be here, and kindly he had given me a generous advance.

"I'm older than I look" I told Flash.

Despite that distraction I didn't miss too much of the important conversation.

"Seven of us?" I heard Robin ask.

Suddenly the computer near a tunnel spoke up.

 _"Recognized Martian Manhunter 07"_

J'onn Jon'zz entered the hideout and with him was a green-skinned female humanoid with shoulder-length red hair. Her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved white top with a red X on it, along with blue skirt, cape, gloves, and ankle high boots.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian" Batman introduced.

She smiled shyly before waving.

"Hi" she greeted

No one spoke for a moment so I went over to her and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you Miss. Martian" I said sounding very British "I'm Gothic".

She smiled, and sifted her cape to look like my jacket.

"I like your coat" she told me.

It was a nice coat.

"Thanks" I replied.

I then backed away as everyone else went and introduced themselves, and I had a feeling that these team was going to get on very well.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour**

Since the Boy Wonder, Aqualad and Kid Flash had homes to go to they'd left not long after meeting Miss Martian. But when the teleporter fired up I knew they were coming back even before the computer announced them. It had been a week, and since our first mission nothing had happened so it was about time for something to happen.

 _"Recognized Robin, B02. Recognized Kid Flash, B03."_

Robin, and Wally walked in from the tunnel in their street clothes over to, M'gann, Power Girl, Superboy and myself. Aqualad then just appeared from somewhere else, which surprised me because I hadn't even know that he was here.

"Is he coming?" Robin asked

Aqualad nodded before speaking.

"He'll be here any minute" the water boy answered.

The computer told as such a moment later, and no sooner did the robot materialise than Aqualad stepped forward, and cleared his throat.

"We were hoping you'd have a mission for us" the Atlantian said "We've been waiting for some time now".

Red Tornado shook his head.

"Missions assignments are the Batman's responsibility" the machine man thing stated.

Robin, who for some reason thought sunglasses made a great disguise, seemed rather upset by this news. I was not as I got paid either way, and I'd used the lack of activity to familiarize myself this world and the people in it, or at least the heroes and villains.

"But it's been a whole week" Robin complained.

Tornado had more to say.

"Perhaps you spend your time familiarizing yourself with this base and each other" the machine huy suggested.

While I'd been de-aged I wasn't a teenager. I was about twenty I figured so I didn't feel the need to bitch about things. Aqualad however did.

"This isn't a social club" Water boy said.

Tornado raised his hand.

"Agreed" stated the machine "But I am told it's a good team building exercise, and you must be able to depend on each other, therefore you must learn to trust each other".

I was a loner by nature, but I figured the machine bloke had made a good point.

"Do they think we're falling for this?" Kid Flash asked.

M'gann smiled before turning to look at the fast teen.

"I'll find out" she said while making her eyes glow "Nothing.. I forgot he's in-organic, but Gothic seems like he knows something we don't".

Rather than ask she tried to read my mind.

"Those are some powerful mental shields" she said "I can sense what your feeling, but I can't read your thoughts".

That was good to hear.

"There are villains who have the power of mind control" Robin told us "Its good to know at least one us can't be affected by them"

Kid Flash then dashed to M'gann.

"Do you know what I'm thinking right now?" he asked the alien with leer.

The green girl wisely did not go into Kid Flash's head.

"We don't need a mind reader to know what you're thinking" I said "I was your age once, its all sex, food, sleep, video games and even more sex".

To be fair that was something how my brain worked too.

"I guess we could tour the clubhouse" Robin then suggested "We've got nothing better to do".

My desire was to research, but I went along with this idea as while team building felt silly, it was also important.

"Well Superboy, Power Girl, Gothic and I live here" green girl said "So we could give you a tour."

Superboy stiffened and turned away.

"Count me out" he said.

Wally again invaded M'gann's personal space

"Don't worry" he told her "A private tour sounds just fine"

I noticed that he never acted like that towards Power Girl, but given that she could break him in half it was most likely out of a sense of self preservation.

"She never said anything about a 'private' tour" Robin said.

Given that the M'gann could shape shift I could understand the appeal she have towards males. She could be anyone woman a man could desire or simply change her own body to suit other people's tastes. I however simply didn't find her attractive, she was too perky for me.

"Team exercise" sighed Aqualad before raising his voice "We all go".

I left my mind drift a little as we walked around so I missed out on some of the talking.

"What's that smell?" Superboy and Power Girl asked at the same time.

I sniffed the air and found that I could faintly detect something burning.

"MY COOKIES!" green girl shouted.

We all followed after and found the alien floating a tray of burned cookies onto the kitchen counter.

"I wanted to try Granny Jones recipe from episode seven" she told us "Guess I still need to practice my baking".

She didn't tell us what show and since I didn't know any of the television here I was left none of the wiser as to who Granny Jones was, but I didn't care enough to inquire.

"It was sweet of you to cook for us M'gann." Aqualad said

Flash was already on his second cookie, and I tried one just to be nice.

"These are exactly like the ones my mother used to make" I told alien girl.

My mother had never had much luck with cookies and cakes when I'd been little, so I was used to eating things that were both burnt and sweet. M'gann took it as complement.

"Guess we should get to know each other better" Aqualad then said after a while "I'm Kaldur'ahm, but my friends call me Kaldur".

Kid Flash who was still eating the cookies looked to M'gann and gave her a wink. He was a like a dog with a bone.

"I'm Wally" he told us "See I already trust you with my secret identity".

Which should make the Flash that was in the League, Barry Allen, unless I was mistaken.

"I'm not like the dark glasses types over here" he then added "I bet Batman's forbidden them from giving their real names to anyone".

That wasn't the case for me.

"I already told her to call me Gothic" I corrected Kid "Its only Azrael when were working. My name before I came to this reality was James, but don't please call me that".

M'gann spoke up next.

"Mine's no secret I'm M'gann M'orzz" she reminded us "But you can call me Megan. That's an Earth name, and I'm on Earth now".

Superboy and Power Girl had nothing to add as they had no lives outside of being heroes. Although to me Power Girl looked like a Karen.

"Oh I can show you my ship" green girl then said.

If she had a space craft then I so wanted to see it.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"My Martian Bio-ship" Megan said while pointing at what seemed to be a large egg "Isn't it wonderful".

I had to ask.

"Has it hatched yet?" I inquired.

The green girl seemed to find what I had just said very amusing, either that or just liked to giggle alot.

"It's in rest mode, silly" she told me "I'll wake it up."

The egg turned in something far more aerodynamic, but clearly alien, so much so that I couldn't have described it in words. Once we were inside things became more understandable for me, it was a bit like that ship out of _Flight of the Navigator._ Megan was even sitting in the middle with two lighted circular 'handles' that had come up out of the floor.

"Red Tornado, please open the hanger doors." Megan requested.

The doors opened and we flew out really fast, however it didn't feel like we were moving at all.

"Incredible" Robin commented.

He wasn't the only one with an opinion.

"She sure is" Kid Flash remarked "The ship I mean! All ships are she's".

I decided to change the subject.

"This is so like _Flight of the Navigator_ " I said

Everyone looked at me in confusion.

"The movie" I explained "You know about the kid who flies around in an alien space ship trying to get home. That ship changes shape like this one does".

Clearly they had no clue what I was on about.

"Now I feel old" I moaned.

Robin decided it was time to change the subject again as my attempt had failed.

"Can you transform?" he asked the green girl

Getting up, Megan shifted in to a female Robin, and then a girl Wally and both in their hero costumes.

"Is it wrong that I think I'm hot?" Wally asked us.

No one replied to that and thankfully she didn't try to shift into a female version of me.

"Mimicking boys is a lot harder" Megan then said.

I'd have thought that with a race of shape shifters that gender would be a matter of choice, perhaps it was when they were fully mature.

"And your clothes?" Kaldur inquired.

Megan smiled, and pulled on her jacket.

"They're organic, like the ship" she explained "They respond to my mental commands".

Superboy snorted before speaking up.

"As long as they're the only ones" he said.

Wally broke the tension by turning to Megan and asking another question.

"Can you do that ghosting through wall like Manhunter does?" he wished to know.

Megan looked to him before replying.

"Density shifting?" she replied "No that's a very advanced technique."

Robin spoke next.

"Flash can vibrate his molecules to go through walls" the Boy Wonder told us "But when Wally does it he gets a bloody nose."

Wally stared wide-eyed at his team.

"Dude!" he yelled.

That was when I noticed something no one else had.

"Where's Power Girl?" I asked everyone.

Megan very quickly got upset.

"Oh no we left her behind!" green girl yelled

Superboy was less concerned.

"If my sister wished to have come with us she would have" he told us.

Clearly Miss Martian felt otherwise as the ship started to turn around just as the radio activated.

"Red Tornado to Miss Martian" the machine said "An alarm has gone off at the Happy Harbor Power Plant I suggest you investigate. Covertly".

Since I didn't have my weapons or my armour I figured it would be best for me to hange back if it turned some super crook was being naughty.

"I wonder what caused the alert?" Robin

Out the view port, or window, or whatever it was we soon saw a twister.

"I'm guessing that!" Kid Flash called out.

The twister sucked the ship into itself, causing Megan to attempt to land the ship. It was not pleasant.

(Line Break)

 **Power Plant. Happy Harbour.**

"Robin. Are tornados common in New England?" Aqualad asked "Robin?".

The Boy Wonder was no where to be seen.

"Damn it!" Kid Flash complained "He keeps doing that".

It was rather annoying.

"Alright lets move!" Aqualad then ordered.

After running inside the plant, we saw Robin get blown in to a stone support. Aqualad ran to him, and knelt down.

"Friends of yours?" he asked the Boy Wonder.

Robin sat up, and shook his head.

"Nope" the sidekick replied "but he packs a punch"

That was when I saw an android with a scarf around his 'face', and blue wires on his arms, and back.

"My apologies" it said to all of us "You may address me as Mr. Twister".

Lifting his arms, he blew wind at my new teamates and I, and I found myself getting blown across the plant. When I got up all I then saw was Superboy hurtling through the air towards me, the next thing I knew his back had rammed into me and then I felt the worst pain I had ever felt just before blacking out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note**

I should have the next four chapters up sometime later today. I'm just adding some finishing touches.

 **DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 4**

I watched Kid Flash slam into the ground hard, and a moment later a red circle lit up beneath him, as a holographic 'Fail' sign signaled the end of the bout. Robin nearly doubled over laughing, while the other members of the team groaned in sympathy. They had no right to laugh having themselves been driven to the ground by Black Canary in a matter of seconds.

As for me I was wondering how well I'd do against her, but I wouldn't find out for a while as just a few days ago. I'd come back from the dead.

Well that wasn't exactly what had happened. I hadn't actually died per say, I'd slipped into a very deep coma that had shut down most of my body while some funky super power I'd not known I'd had went about fixing me.

It had taken me a while to heal from my injuries as being electrocuted did quite a lot of damage to the human body, and according to the medical records I'd very much looked dead. Knowing that it was understandable why the Justice League had transferred me up to the Watchtower for a full autopsy before burial.

Lucky for me I'd woken before anyone had started cutting into me, and while waking up inside a draw in a morgue had been a very unpleasant experience, at least I my body had fixed itself first. Granted I now looked paler than ever, but that was a small price to buy for having new, healthy skin.

"KF you do everything fast" Robin said after taking a second to catch his breath "Even losing".

Kid Flash managed to pick himself up and once he'd done that he spent some time glowering at Robin.

"Big talk coming from such a little guy" Wally replied.

Robin was the youngest of us, he was only sixteen, and as such he did seem tiny. Of course everyone looked small when they should next to Superboy, even me.

"I'd like to see you take her on" Kid Flash then said,

While I'd not sparred with Black Canary, because I was suppose to be taking it easy, I figured that I'd barely last any longer than Kid Flash had. Sure I'd been trained by monks, but they'd given me the skills needed by a supernatural assassin, which didn't mean I was a great fighter. Assassins tended to take their targets by surprise, and I while I was better with my swords than with my fists she wasn't training us to fight with weapons.

"Wait a minute, why don't you ever take her on?" Wally then asked the Boy Wonder "Why do you always get a free pass when it comes to combat training?"

Now that he'd mentioned it I had never seen Robin take on Black Canary.

"Dude, I don't get a free pass" Bird Boy replied "I have to train with Batman every night".

And he patrolled with the Dark Knight quite often I suspected given that I rarely saw Robin here at Mount Justice. Mostly it was just me, Megan and the Wonder Twins (my nick name for Power Girl and Superboy) here in the cave as we had no where else to go.

"Yeah, we only have your word for that." Kid Flash was now saying "How do we know you really train?".

While we had no evidence I was sure that Robin did train a lot, after all he had to keep up with Gotham's Grim Guardian and survive encounters with very dangerous people such as Two-Face, Killer Croc and others.

"There would be little point in Robin battling Black Canary" Batman told us as he walked into the training room. "They have both studied the same techniques, and are evenly matched".

I hadn't even known that the Dark Knight was inside the mountain, not that I should have as he was very good at sneaking about.

"She would eventually win" Batman went on to say "but the battle would last too long to be of any real benefit".

There was some wisdom to his words. Robin wouldn't learn much from someone who used the same moves as he did, a true test would be for him to go against someone he wouldn't to be predict.

"See" Robin said, with a triumphant smile.

I had got the feeling that very soon he was going to pay for being all arrogant.

"But if you don't believe that Robin is being trained, then perhaps a little demonstration is in order" Batman decided.

The next thing anyone knew, one of Batman's legs was about to met Robin head, however the Boy Wonder was narrowly able to avoid the kick.

"Whoa" Robin said while back flipping away to get some distance between him and his teacher "We gonna do this here? Now?".

This was going to be entertaining.

"Yes" Batman replied. "No gadgets; strict hand to hand"

Robin smiled at us before running away from the Dark Knight, and towards the furtherest wall so that there was as much room between himself and his mentor as possible.

"Everyone else, take a seat, and watch" Batman instructed.

Black Canary lead the rest of us over to the bench by a wall, and we all sat down together.

"Get comfortable" the blonde woman told us "This might take a while."

While we were doing that Robin had disappeared up into the rafters. Since I wasn't wearing my mask my senses were merely human so I couldn't be sure that I could see him, although I was almost certain that the Boy Wonder was slowly making his way towards the centre of the room, which was where the Caped Crusader was standing.

"You can't win from up there" Batman then said to his apprentice.

To my surprise Robin spoke.

"I know, but I can't lose either" he replied.

Despite the Boy Wonder having talked I wasn't able to pinpoint his location exactly but my guess about his movements were proved right when Robin dropped down from the ceiling. He planted both of his feet on Batman's shoulders, and used him as a springboard, flipping backwards to land in a crouch.

Batman staggered forward a little but he didn't fall, and he regained his footing very quickly so I figured that he known that Robin would attack in that away and had allowed it. They weren't just training they were putting on a show that would give the team a better understanding of the Boy Wonder's fighting talents.

The Dark Knight then turned to face his protégée, and assumed a fighting stance, and I understood that the training session had now truly begun.

Robin soon rushed in at the older hero with a flurry of kicks and punches before flipping away again. Batman almost effortlessly blocked each move so it looked as if the Boy Wonder was outmatched. However Robin was not done yet he rushed back in and continued to pummel Batman with kicks and punches, before flipping away yet again. And again his moves were prevented from striking the Dark Knight's body.

Robin continued this hit and run technique somewhat successfully, for a long time, before he finally started to show signs of fatigue. His breathing is getting heavier, and his attacks were not as precise. Batman on the other hand had barely moved, he was letting his sidekick wear himself out. Which was clever as the Boy Wonder was a small and nimble target, the Dark Knight knew better than to waste his energy chasing his sidekick around the room.

After another sequence, Robin's attacks had slowed down enough that we could actually see how they were being blocked, Then suddenly, but not surprisingly Batman managed to counter an attack, with a swift kick to the stomach. Which caused Robin to stagger backwards.

That was when Batman charged. Robin managed to dodge most of the attacks, but we could all see that the Dark Knight was going to overwhelm his student in short order.

Eventually one of the punches struck the Boy Wonder in the chest, forcing the breath out of his lungs, and knocking him back into the wall. Batman then took a swing at Robin's head, but the smaller half of the Dynamic Duo managed to duck at the last second, causing Batman's fist to slam into the wall. That had to have hurt the Caped Crusader.

Robin took advantage of the moment he'd just brought himself to roll away, and to make a mad dash up the wall and into the rafters again. But unlike before Batman went right after him. Which was smart as if he didn't he'd given the teen time to recover.

I expected the two of them to come back down and continue the battle were we could see, but that wasn't what happened. Instead some lights came up up near the celling, and they were just bright enough to allow me to see what was happening up above.

Now I could watch as Batman moved carefully from rafter to rafter trying to land an attack on Robin, who was busy jumping from rafter to rafter, so that he could avoid the attacks of the larger man.

This went for a while, and I came to conclusion that this Robin had to be Dick Grayson the acrobat, but he was actually better up in the rafters than Batman was.

Perhaps the Dark Knight would have worn down the younger hero, but the siren went off declaring the end of the match was ended.

"Wait; that's it? No winner?" Kid Flash asked.

I'd not even known that there was time limit to the training bouts. No one had lasted anywhere near long enough against Black Canary to find out.

"Robin won" Batman said just after dropping the ground.

I'd have called a draw, but I had no desire to argue about it. Other people however did.

"But how is that winning?" Power Girl asked "He didn't manage to knock you down once, and he was definitely close to losing at the end"

I understood why. The Boy Wonder had done exactly what Black Canary had told us to at the start of our first training session. Which was to never let your foe control the action.

"Robin not only won by staying in the fight" the Batman replied "he also used his environment to his advantage, and he forced me to fight on his terms. He controlled the battle and that he was he is the winner".

The Dark Knight then had more to say.

"You are all heroes in training" he reminded us "You won't win battles against seasoned heroes or villains. The best you can do is survive long enough for help to arrive, or try to escape. Which Robin could have done if he wished to".

Black Canary spoke next.

"That's why you're a team" she said "because together you're stronger than you are as individuals. Once you can work together as a group even Batman won't be able to stand against you".

I wasn't so sure about that as the Dark Knight would have plans in place to defeat us if we all went rogue, but that would require special tools and such. In a fair fight with no special preparations or weapons we might actually be able to beat him once we had learned to fight together.

"Thank you for the lesson, Batman" Aqualad said as he stood up "We still have much to learn".

That I agreed with.

"And you will" Black Canary told us "That's why we're here; to help you all become the heroes of tomorrow".

Being a hero wasn't what I wanted out of life, I was doing this because really I had no where else to go, and I was getting paid. However I did want the training so I would go along with things. For now.

"Yeah, KF." Robin said as he rejoined the team "That means a lot more failing for you."

Then without warning Robin swept Kid Flashes feet out from under him, causing him to slam into the floor. Another red circle surrounded him, while the siren, and holographic 'Fail' sign announce his failure.

"Okay I get the point" Kid Flash told us as he picked himself up off the ground "Just stop hitting me".

For him the training might take a while for him.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Habour.**

The next day Black Canary was back and it was time for more training. I felt ready to fight, despite the whole not really dying thing, but as it turned out that wasn't what we'd be doing.

"Today, we will again be training, however we will be focusing on technology. How can technology help us on a mission?" Black Canary asked us.

I was formulating an answer when Power Girl spoke.

"Most information is stored on computers, so you need to know how to access that information" she said.

She wasn't the only one to speak.

"And it is useful to be able to know how to set up a comm link" Kaldur provided "In case you need to call for help".

Next it was Kid Flash's turn.

"So you can deactivate security systems or whatever" Wally said.

Me I was thinking that I needed technology to provide me with a gun, nothing lethal, but it would be nice to be able to take down a target from a distance. Swords weren't exactly ranged weapons.

"Oh! You can look up recipes for cooking on computers," M'gann said

That made people laugh.

"Mission related, Miss Martian," Black Canary reminded.

The Boy Wonder was up next.

"So you can hack into government systems," Robin said with a smirk.

Black Canary wasn't amused.

"Mission related" she reminded.

Plus confessing a major crime to a crime fighter seemed unwise to me.

"Hey I work with Batman" he protested.

The woman didn't accept that.

"Batman has never asked you to hack government sites," Black Canary said firmly.

I wouldn't be surprised if he had.

"Shows what you know" the ebony haired boy muttered.

We all heard him regardless.

"Moving on," the older hero said with a sigh "I want each of you to share with the group the most advanced technological thing you have done".

Given that I'd livid with monks I'd not had many changes to mess with tech.

"Can we just name Robin as the most tech savvy and get this part over with?" Kid Flash wondered. "I mean he did hack that elevator".

That wasn't all he'd done.

"And he disabled the motion sensors and got the floor plans" I added.

Plus the cameras. I forgotten about those.

"With a holo-computer that I designed myself, and created myself" Robin informed us.

I sensed this could go on for a while as did our teacher.

"Enough!" Black Canary shouted. "Let move on. Clearly Robin can teach you more computers than I ever could. We'll move on to stealth".

Hearing that pleased me as I was good at the sneaky stuff. At least when compared to the Wonder Twins who were about as ninja as druken rhinos.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note**

This is chapter is mostly filler I admit it, but I think its good because it shows the team getting along and that's important as they will be going on many missions together.

 **Reviews**

 **Egszeek1340**

I'm glad.

 **Elvisfonz23**

The pairing should be pretty clear soon.

 **Anon**

Please login and message me if you want to send me a lot of information. I don't understand what you've been trying to say.

 **DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 5**

 **Seaside. Happy Harbour.**

"BEACH! HERE I COME!" Kid Flash yelled.

Before we had even reached the sand Wally was throwing off his shirt and kicking off his flip-flops, then at super speed he ran straight into the water. As this was happening I heard Megan and Power Girl giggling like typical young women, which they weren't.

Robin wasn't here but Superboy and Aqualad were, they were behind the rest us carrying all the beach stuff. I was feeling fine, however the rest of the team were still treating me like I was delicate.

"So what do we do here?" Superboy asked.

Given that he barely seen the outside world it was understandable that he had no idea what people did at beaches, and since I tried to avoid them I wasn't going to be much help to him.

"Well, first you take your shirt off." Megan told him

I watched her then take out bottle of sunscreen from one of the bags, and it didn't take make a mind reader to figure out what she really wanted to apply the stuff all over Superboy's impressive frame.

"Then I rub this on you" she explained.

Superboy took off his top, and the green girl stopped being so green for a few moments.

"Oh" Megan giggled

Apparently alien women weren't that different from human women when it came to hunky guys taking their clothes off.

"Um, who brought the weapons?" Power Girl asked as she started to unpack "I'd say it was Robin, but he isn't here".

Given what had happened the last time I'd left the mountain while unarmed I felt it wise to bring a few things with me, for self defence.

"I did" I confessed.

No one complained or commented on it further.

"So who's up for swimming?" Aqualad inquired.

I was somewhat hesitant to strip down to my swimwear due to the fact that my skin was really pale. What didn't help was that Superboy looked really healthy, and Megan seemed to be very happy about that.

"Not me, I'm gonna enjoy the sun" Power Girl said.

Given that half of her was an alien race who gained super powers from Earth's yellow sun I could understand the appeal of sun bathing for her. Plus she was now wearing only a one piece bathing suit, which offered me quite the view. Not that I looked for long as I quickly remembered that she in some sense a baby.

"I'm going to go find some shade" I told the others "We British types don't tan that well".

While I didn't have my swords I wasn't helpless as now had a collapsible staff I'd just taken from a bag, so I wasn't worried about going off by myself. However I would be safer with the super power people so I also wanted to stick around in case someone attacked us.

"On second thoughts we need ice cream" I said to the group "Its my treat".

Before I'd even gone a few meters I heard them talking about me.

"Will he be okay here all by himself?" Megan asked

I should have been offended, only I wasn't as I had sort of died during our last mission, that made her concern more than justifed.

"Yeah, he'll be fine" I heard Power Girl say "He brought weapons with him, and he's not going that far".

Now I was hoping that very soon we'd have a mission were I wouldn't get hurt so I'd get the chance to prove myself to the team. There was only so much coddling that a grown man could take.

(Line Break)

 **Seaside. Happy Harbour.**

"Ice cream!" I heard Kid Flash yell out upon my return.

Carrying so many ice creams was tricky, but I didn't have to worry about it for long as soon I was only carrying one. Wally had in the blink of an eye handed all of the frozen treats to every member of the group.

"Why are you still wearing your t-shirt?" Megan asked me "Are you embarrassed?".

I was, but not for the reasons she might be thinking.

"Still British" I reminded her "And pale. Trust me if I strip off you'll end up with a tea flavoured puddle".

She was not put off by that.

"That's why I brought plenty of sunscreen!" she said.

Despite her words I didn't think she was the one so eager to see what I was hiding under my baggy jeans and short sleeved top.

"Okay fine" I then muttered.

I stripped down to my bathing suit and let everyone see.

"Better than I imagined" Power Girl commented "I figured you'd have nasty burns everywhere, but you just need some tanning".

The next thing I knew Power Girl was dragging me down on a towel, and then she started applying sun screen. Which was pleasant, so I started to relax and enjoy myself.

(Line Break)

 **Seaside. Happy Harbour.**

"Hey guys, we need to go" was the next thing I heard.

I must have nodded off for a while because the next thing I knew the sun was setting and everyone was packing up.

"Um, where are my clothes?" I asked.

Kid Flash threw the items at me before speaking.

"Dude, you just relax" he urged "I'll get the stuff okay?"

I was now getting annoyed again by the group treating me like I was weak.

"But.." was all I managed to say

He was already gone by the time I had opened my mouth, and suddenly there was sand everywhere, and after that there was nothing left to prove we ever even been here. He'd cleared everything away. Which left me with nothing to do other than to get dressed.

"Superboy, Aqualad, help me with all of this!" Wally's requested as he tried to balance all the bags in his arms "I can't carry all of this".

We all just stood there and watched as Kid Flash comically fell over and get buried in all our stuff.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

It was dark by the time we got back to the hideout, and not long after I'd put my stuff away I headed for the kitchen in order to make myself something to eat. Only I found the place in use.

"Let's see…preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.. check!" Miss Martian was saying "Next, I need to mix the sugar and the flour…oh…wait…Hello Megan! I need some bowls first!"

Using her telekinetic powers, M'Gann quickly got some bowls out of the cupboard before mixing the sugar and flour together. As she moved on to the next step, she stopped long enough to realise I was there.

"Oh, hey there Gothic" she greet "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting".

I bit back my annoyance, and forced a smile to appear on my face.

"So, what are you up to M'Gann?" I needlessly asked.

It was pretty obvious that she was still trying to master the skill of baking.

"I'm baking a cake" she told me.

She'd make someone a great girlfriend, and I suspected that was what she trying to tell Superboy, only he wasn't getting the message. Although to be fair he was like four months old.

"Do you want some help?" I asked her "I happen to be quite the chef".

M'Gann laughed cutely before nodding. She seem to find many things amusing, and I had no idea why.

"Sure, why not?" she then said "Can you grab the eggs from the fridge?"

I walked over to the fridge and located the desired items.

"How many do you need?" I asked

With effort I resisted the urge to juggle the eggs.

"Umm…let me see" M'Gann replied.

She spent a moment reading over the recipe before telling me the answer.

"We need 2 eggs" she finally answered. "Can you also grab some milk".

That was what I did.

 _"Recognized Robin B01"_

"Look who's here" M'Gann said in a singsong tone.

Moments later the Boy Wonder appeared in the kitchen, he was dressed in civilian clothes complete with sunglasses so I assumed he was just visiting.

"Hey, Gothic" he greeted "How are you feeling?".

That wasn't just someone causally asking he really did want to know.

"I'm fine" I assured him "I've actually been helping M'Gann with her latest attempt at baking".

He seemed surprised by that.

"You can cook?" he asked.

Indeed I could.

"Stick around and I'll make dinner" I told him "I cook great Italian food".

Robin smirked.

"Okay this I have to see" he said.

See it he would.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"Where did you learn to cook?" Megan asked as the team and I all sat down to eat "And can you teach me?".

It hadn't taken me long for me to whip up a large meal for the entire team. I had been able to do that because I'd livied with holy order who didn't allow women membership so everyone took turns cooking, even me. And since the Order of Dumar was Catholic group that had been housed in Vatican City for centuries before being exiled, most of the food had been Italian.

Also while gluttony might be a sin that hadn't stopped the monks from eating well. They didn't view as being greedy because they had all worked hard during the day in order to earn a good meal. I'd trained hard every day as so I had been fed well.

"The Order of Dumars" I told her "And yes I'll teach you".

This time she hadn't burnt the cake she'd been baking, but that was only because I'd been around to keep an eye on it.

"I thought that you were learning to be an assassin" remarked Robin "That's what it says in your file".

That was mostly what I'd been doing for the better part of a year. But that hadn't been my entire life.

"The monks grew their own vegetables" I told him "So I learned how to grow different kinds of plants and how to cook them. They kept their own chickens and even had a cow. So I know how to milk a cow".

Learning that had been far more fun than it might seem. There was some satisfying about gathering your own food and then cooking it. I guessed that was why most human being had been farmers throughout history, it hadn't just been about survival.

"May I have more" Superboy then inquired.

Amazingly his plate was already empty. I'd expected that from Kid Flash, but not from Supes.

"Sure" I said "There's plenty of leftovers".

That was when I noticed that most of the food was already gone and that Wally was looking very full.

"Well there was" I corrected.

Thankfully we still had Megan's cake and some ice cream.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"Tonight is movie night!" Megan declared.

Out of the corner of my I saw Superboy and Power Girl look around in confusion at the cry that had just echoed loudly through the cave, and the strange reaction the words the words had on our resident speedster.

Robin immediately shut off his computer, which was a miracle in itself, and soon became engaged in excited babble with Wally over things that the two part Kryptonians did not understand in the least.

Also M'gann had raced into the living room from the kitchen with a speed to rival that of Wally's and was now bouncing up and down excitedly. Then she started going on and on about how she'd heard of this Earth custom and also something about wanting to see 'chick flicks'. Which naturally sent shivers up and down my spine.

To my surprise, the Atlantean appeared to be both resigned and perhaps a tiny bit excited about us having a movie night. If asked I was sure he would have justified his enthusiasm by saying that this was just another team building exercise.

"What's a movie night?" Superboy growled.

I figured that is irritation at being out of the loop on this matter was what made him so grumpy.

"What's a movie night?" Power Girl repeated in a softer tone of voice.

I was about to answer, however the Boy Wonder got there first.

"Basically it's a night when a group of friends all get together and watch movies together," Robin explained "Sometimes they'll stay up all night just watching videos together".

That was the essence of it.

"Yeah! Plus there's snacks and stuff" Wally enthusiastically stated "it's tons of fun!"

Aqualad then had something to add.

"You can think of it as a sort of bonding exercise," he said.

The green girl was the most enthusiastic, and considering that Wally was here that was saying something.

"I've heard it's tons of fun!" M'gann added excitedly "Lots of people do it with their friends here on Earth, I think it's sort of a tradition".

Plus it was my chance to show everyone what the heck I'd been talking about back when we'd been on bio-ship.

"So we're doing it!" Wally exclaimed,

He was now practically vibrating with excitement.

"What we will watch first?" I inquired.

Megan already had a DVD and was putting inside the player. To my horror it was a chick flick so I decided that the best thing to do was to try to get comfy and sleep. I seemed to be needing more rest ever since my 'death', but given what had happened it didn't concern me so I just closed my eyes and drifted off.


	6. Chapter 6

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 6**

 **Bio-Ship**

This was the team's first real mission, and I was nervous right up until I put my mask on. When that happened I stopped being Gothic and became Azrael the Avenging Angel. Not in the way the monks had intended, as I was still in the driving seat of my body. I hadn't really become someone else, but I saw myself differently.

"Drop Zone's in thirty" M'gann called out.

Aqualad stood up, and as he did his chair dissolved in to the ship, which was still cool to watch. Then he pressed an 'A' shaped button on his belt and his shirt changed to black. Kid Flash did the same changing his golden suit into a dark one by pressing on his belt.

"Ready" Kaldur told everyone.

M'gann nodded, and stopped the vessel so smoothly that if I hadn't been able to see the outside I'd not even have noticed that we'd stopped moving.

"Putting the bio-ship into camouflage mode" she reported.

While from the inside it was impossible to tell the difference I knew the ship was becoming invisible, and as soon as that was done a hole appeared in the the floor for Aqualad to jump out. He would swim to shore and place a device that disable at least some of the islands security. Meanwhile the bio-ship would move the next drop zone.

 _"Heat and motion sensors are hacked"_ Kal reported over the comm " _Their security is now on a continues sweep_ ".

Such uses of technology were beyond my skills, however I knew enough to understand that we could now land safely. Which we soon would.

As I finished fastening all the straps on my suit some 'cables' came down out of the celling, which made it clear how were going to get down the ground without the ship actually landing.

"Pretty cool" Kid Flash praised.

I turned to see Megan's costume change in to a full black suit, if nothing else it sure took her a lot less time for her to get changed than any other woman on the planet.

"Hey Supes.. Power sure you don't want to try the new Stealth Tech?" Flash asked the people I called the Wonder Twins inside my head "You need to make sure you don't stand out".

Not that either of them would much even in their civilian clothes since they tended to wear dark colours like I did.

"Capes and tights no way" Superboy said.

Her sister shared his view on the matter.

"I'm fine in this" Power Girl stated.

Megan also had something to say one of the Wonder Twin's commitment to his fashion choices. Only I understood none of what she said as she stuttered.

It must have embarrassing because she pulled her hood up and then turn invisible. For some reason her doing that seemed oddly familiar. It was if I'd known someone else with the habit of hiding within a cloak. But I had no time to think about that as I needed to leave the craft.

Robin, Kid and I lowered down on the 'cables', were as Superboy and Power Girl went down directly and created a pair of small craters.

"Subtle" I muttered.

Robin was not impressed.

"We'll be lucky if you didn't alert anyone" he said before speaking into his comm "Aqualad. Drop B is a go".

After a second, Aqualad replied.

 _"Head for the factory"_ he ordered _"We'll rendezvous there"._

So far everything was going to plan. Which was nice, however I knew it wouldn't last.

"Ok let's go" Robin then said.

We ran along the path for a while until Power Girl and Superboy suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.

"You hear that?" they both said

Wally sighed before speaking up.

"Is this a 'super-hearing' thing?" he wished to know.

Miss Martian looked to Superboy, and smiled.

"You do have good ears" she then said.

That was not her best attempt at flirting with male half of the Wonder Twins. She needed some pointers, but unlike with cooking that was not something I could help her with.

"Dude really?!" Wally said a little too loudly.

The Boy Wonder was gone, and I hadn't even noticed. He was so much better at the ninja stuff than the rest of us.

"He needs to teach me that" I muttered.

Aqualad's voice came in over our earpieces.

 _"Gothic, Kid switch to Infer Red"_ Aqualad instructed.

The goggles were not magical like my armour, but they worked just fine and soon I saw two groups of people who were heading towards each at a slow pace. From what Batman had told us about this island it wasn't the kind of place tourists would visit so I doubted they were was confirmed when their guns went off.

"No need for super hearing now" I muttered.

Wally tried to run, but Power Girl was fast enough to hold him back.

"Robin knows what he's doing" I said to Kid Flash "and remember we're a covert team, we can't just go rushing into a fight.

With that I started to make a plan.

"Let's flank the two groups" I suggested "Power Girl, and Superboy. I want one of you in each group in case they have any meta-humans".

This island was exporting Venom, a very dangerous drug and it was possible that super powered villains were involved. We didn't know for sure, so we had to be careful.

"Megan go with Supes and Flash" I then said "And take out the larger group that the farthest away. I'll go with Power Girl, and take out the smaller group that's closer to us".

We exchanged nods and got to work.

(Line Break)

 **Island.**

"What did I miss?" Robin asked when he reappeared.

No one answered, and we didn't need to as the two groups of tied up men told him everything he needed.

"I know these guys" the Boy Wonder then said "They belong to a cult called Kobra".

The other group worked for a man called Bane, we knew this as we'd captured him.

"Did Batman know about this?" Aqualad asked Robin

I assumed that he did.

"No he doesn't" the smaller half of the Dynamic Due assured us "Otherwise he would be here himself instead of taking a back seat while we did all of the work".

I wasn't convinced as Batman had already gone to great lengths to test us before, and I figured he would do so again if it served his purposes.

"And where were you?" Kid Flash asked Robin.

They quickly broke down into a heated discussion about who should be in charge of the mission. This was both the wrong time and place to argue, but it was something that needed sorting out.

"Any of you want to lead?" Power Girl asked Megan, Supes and I while the other members of the team had a row "I sure don't".

I was tempted, however given my lack of experience I didn't think it would be wise to let me make too many important choices.

"No I wasn't much help with Mr. Twister" green girl said.

I'd missed out on most of that mission so I had idea how well anyone had done against that being.

"I think you did great" Superboy told Megan.

That made alien woman blush.

"Okay you two we're on a mission" Power Girl reminded them before turning to me "What about you, Azrael, do you want to led. I think you'd do a better job than those three".

Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash were still arguing.

"I might have to take charge" I told the Galatea look a like "but its not what I want".

It would mean more work, and I was getting paid well as it was so I had no desire for a promotion. At least not yet anyway, and given that the experienced males of the group had finally stopped arguing it seemed unnecessary to take charge at this point.

Robin at least had some idea of what do next, and that was to get some answers out of Bane.

"Why don't we compromise" offered the super villain "I want Kobra out of my island. Help me do that, and you get the new 'Venom' they're making. I can even take you to a secrete entrance".

Aqualad then looked over to Miss. Martian

"Read his mind to see if he's hiding anything" Kaldur instructed.

Miss Martian's eyes glowed as she used her alien powers on Bane.

"There's a secrete entrance" she was able to confirm "But he's reciting soccer scores in Spanish to confuse me. This could take awhile".

Bane smiled before speaking up.

"It's not complicated" he said "The enemy of my enemy's my friend".

At least until the mutual enemy was defeated.

"I can break him" I told the others while reaching for my swords "Let's find out if he can feel regret".

The team was well aware of what my swords could do, and since a few of men on Bane's team sounded as if they were whispering prayers I'd proven that they could work.

"There's no timem we'll have to trust him" Aqualad said to me before turning to Bane "But if you betray us I'll let him use his magic on you".

The man in the wrestler's mask smiled, and I figured I'd been stabbing him soon. Which was something I was looking forward to.

(Line Break)

 **Island.**

Bane quickly took us to a cliff that was overlooking the factory and once we got there Robin looked through his binoculars, and reported that he saw the Kobra group putting crates near a helicopter landing pad. I had enhanced vision thanks to mask, but it was no were near enough to get the level of detail we needed.

"It's a big shipment" the Boy Wonder then said "If Kobra's not selling to the usual suppliers then..."

Aqualad interrupted him.

"There must be a new one" the water boy reasoned "we need to go down and there find out who".

Not long after we got moving again Bane walked up to a rock, and lifted it out of the way, revealing a mineshaft.

"Follow me" he then said.

After walking down the mineshaft we ended up inside the factory, and again Robin did his whole vanishing act.

"He really needs to remember we're not Batman" I heard someone moan.

Kid Flash decided to dash away and he was back before anyone of us could say or do anything.

"There's a computer room just above us" he reported "If he's sticking to the plan, Robin should be there".

Those words amused me.

"Since when does anything go to plan" I stated.

(Line Break)

 **Island.**

When we got outside I saw a tall, strongly built man. He had short blond hair and a what looked to be a hockey mask over his face. Also he was wearing what seemed to be armour mostly made up of sporting equipment that had all been painted the same colour dark colour as the hockey mask. He had on arm and elbow pads on both arms and fingerless gloves. On his left arm, he had metal plates attached, and a belt that looked very much like one a hero might wear.

"Sportsmaster?! He's the buyer?" asked a confused sounding Kid Flash.

I then watch as Kaldur put a hand to his ear

"Aqualad to Red Tornado do you read?" he said.

He sighed so I guessed he had only gotten static.

"Can't reach anyone" he then confirmed.

This was bad as we hadn't expected there to be so many super villains here, and we'd only just managed to avoid being detected. Plus there were a lot of men with guns around here so a straight up fighting would be unwise.

"We need a plan" I stated.

Bane smirked at me before jumping down, and attacking the bad guys. Which effectively committed us to a massive brawl so I took out my swords and headed for the nearest group of enemies.

I only saw bits and pieces of what happened next, as I was busy using my twin swords to disable the guys with guns. However I did see Power Girl fighting a meta-human my research told me was called Mammoth. While Superboy battled Sportsmaster.

At first everything seemed to go well, but rather suddenly the tide of battle changed and Aqualad called a retreat. I was too busy running to get a full picture of what was going on. But I did notice when Power Girl and Superboy knocked the supports down causing the cave we'd used as both an entrance and exit to collapse.

"Halt perras" Bane said when we reached the exit.

The masked man held up a remote, and we all saw the bombs lit up above and around us. I wasn't worried about myself, as I'd survived worse, but I was concerned for the rest of the team. Plus if I got buried alive while no one else was badly hurt I'd have to put up with another week or two of everyone coddling me.

"Why?" Aqulad asked as it was that needed to be said.

Bane went on to explain that he'd intended to use us to get back his factory. Which hadn't worked out so well, and that since we'd failed to destroy the source of the Venom he knew the Justice League would step in. Killing us was just his way of trying to make something good out what had really been a total clusterfuck.

Then he tried to blow us up with his remote but Kid Flash took it from him before his thumb could press the button.

"Looking for this?" Wally West asked.

Bane tried punching him but he was lifted off the ground by Miss Martian's alien powers.

"Drop him" Superboy and Power Girl both then said.

As Bane was dropped, both of the Wonder Twins punched him so hard that he was knocked out, and then he was tied up again.

"Okay" Aqualad said to us "Lets go and complete our mission".

I nearly stopped to stab Bane, but I didn't think it would work if wasn't awake so I didn't bother.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

Batman was pacing back and forth as he berated us.

"You had a simple mission" he said "Go to the factory clear it out and the destroy the Venom".

Which was what we had done, eventually.

"You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes" the Dark Knight told us "I expect you each to study the evaluation and then to write a report for me explaining what you did wrong and how you can avoid making that mistake in the future".

And here I'd thought I'd never do homework again.

"Until then" he said next "Relax, you did a good job"

We were all understandably surprised.

"No battle plans survives contact with the enemy" the Caped Crusader went on to say "How you adjust to the unforeseen determines success or failure, and despite everything you did complete the mission".

It wasn't over yet.

"Now as for your leader" Batman said "Aqualad will be leading this team".

The Dark Knight turned and left leaving no room for argument, and for once none of us wanted to argue

"Congrats" Kid Flash said to Kaldur.

I offered my congratulation as well and then headed for my room. It had been a long day and badly wanted some rest.


	7. Chapter 7

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 7**

 _"Team report to the debriefing room for your mission assignment."_

I was able to easily hear Batman's monotone voice over the loudspeaker, and when I did I smiled because now it meant the team had a chance to redeem itself for last week's somewhat botched mission.

Since I was close to the central room, I made there first, but I wasn't left alone with the Dark Knight for very long.

"Whassup Bats!" Kid Flash said happily as he rushed in

Robin arrived shortly afterwards grinning as if often did. Megan was next, and she walking with Superboy. Kaldur followed along shortly with Power Girl, and I found myself wondering what those two had been getting up too, but I focused on what was going on now, as it was none of my concern anyway.

"Mission?" Robin asks curiously

Batman nodded.

"You will be travelling to Gotham as part of an investigation into the shipments of Kobra Venom" the Caped Crusader explained "While you destroyed the factory and prevented Sportsmaster from getting away with a supply of the super steroid we still don't know how much Venom has been exported from the island. What we do know as that a large supply was intended for Gotham, either to be sold there or to be stored until being transported elsewhere".

Given what Venom did for Bane, it could be a disaster if the super steroid found its way on the street. We could end up with entire gangs of crooks going on the rampage.

"You'll be following a tip we received, and to that you'll need to go to the Iceberg Lounge in Gotham and find out whatever you can" the Caped Crusader was now saying "But given that Robin won't be able to pass for twenty-one he won't be there to guide you and I doubt Kid Flash will get past the bouncers either, at least not without drawing a lot of attention. Which is something we don't want".

Aqualad spoke up.

"I'm not sure I'll be much help either" he said "I don't have a lot of experience with nightclubs".

Neither would Megan, or either of the Wonder Twins.

"Is the Iceberg lounge being run by the Penguin?" I asked.

The Dark Knight nodded.

"And I am right in guessing that only Gotham's elite could gain entry?" was my second question.

Again he just nodded.

"The older members of the team will be provided with ID cards that will pass any inspection" Gotham's Grim Guardian then said to us "That should get most of you through the front door. Assuming you don't spend all night lining up to get in".

My thinking was that bribing the door man was the way to go as we didn't have time to turn one of us into a celebrity. Sure the green girl could shift into a well known person, but that would also drawn unwanted attention.

"Gothic, do you have a plan?" Aqualad asked me.

I gave him a smile.

"My thinking was that we'd have Robin in uniform doing surveillance" I said "He can keep an eye on the place for us and even sneak in if he has to. Flash would be our backup, if something goes wrong he can bring our stuff to us or cause a big distraction".

Batman waited until I finished before interupting.

"I'll be working down at the docks" he informed us "So I'll need someone to check the offices at the nightclub for any evidence of the Venom entering Gotham, and while I'm sure Kid Flash could get everyone's attention something more covert might be needed".

Quickly I came up with an idea.

"We could start a bar fight" I suggested "That would get any security they have focused on us while Robin does what he needs to do. He's the best at hacking and the most stealthy so he's the best choice for that job".

Batman might have been pleased by my plan, it was impossible to tell.

"I'll leave the details up to you" he said while heading towards the teleporter "I'll contact you again once I have the ID's, and then we can go over your plan".

Once he was gone I turned to the others.

"Since I'm the only one here whose been clubbing I think I should take the lead" I told them.

I was worried that Aqualad, who was our leader, might not approve of me taking over.

"This is outside my experience" Kaldur said "I think I'll let you take the led for this mission".

While I didn't want to be leader, this was the best course of action so I pleased.

"Okay to start with we're going to need new outfits" I told everyone "because to get in we'll have to look like we belong. That means looking like were pretty, rich and important not to offend".

Which might not take much given what I had to work with.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

My first order as temporary team leader was get Kaldur, Megan, Superboy and Power Girl to dress up. Since Robin would be out of sight for this mission he could stay in uniform, as could Kid Flash since he'd only enter the club as back up.

Megan, who could shape shift, didn't need long to prepare before showing me how stylish she could look. When she re-entered the main room I saw that she wearing a body tight, deep navy blue dress that cut off at mid-thighs and she had a neckline showed off enough to ensure that no heterosexual man would be looking her face.

Next Power Girl walked in, and her dress was similar to Megan's except that it was black and sparkly, and it was more lose around the skirt. Also she wore high heel shoes that made her seem much taller than normal. I admired her, but I didn't let myself stare as the last thing I wanted to develop an attraction for a team mate.

Amusingly the guys took longer to get ready, but not too long thankfully. Kaldur soon walked into the room wearing a smart suit only instead of a shirt he wore a jumper with a turtle neck in order hide his gills

Last of all Superboy entered and he had gone with the whole James Bond look. He wore a proper tux, and I was pretty sure that Megan found him very pleasing to look at.

"Okay girls you did great with the dresses" I praised "Now we just need to add some finishing touches. Robin if you would do the honours".

The Boy Wonder was not the master of disguise his father figure was, but he'd told me he could help us blend in with the fancy people who visited the Iceberg Lounge.

"Dude how to do you know about this chick stuff?" Wally West inquired as the Robin got to work "Are you and Bats drag queens? Come on you can tell us".

Despite my best effort I couldn't help picturing the Boy Wonder in a dress.

"I've been trained for everything, and I mean everything" Robin explained as he then applied a light shimmer pink lip gloss to Megan's lips, sparkly gold eye shadow, and a small amount of blush to highlight her cheeks "You'd be surprised how handy make up can be when you need to go undercover even as a man".

I'd been trained as an assassin, but the not the kind that needed to blend in. The monks had wanted me to sneak about on rooftops and stuff like that. Disguising myself had never been a concern.

"Okay Power, you're next" the smaller half on the Dynamic Duo declared.

Robin braided her hair and then put it in a bun using hair pins. He then applied some light red lipstick, blush and even eye shadow. I'd never seen a guy so skill full with a make up kit. He was an artist.

"Gothic your next" the Boy Wonder then said "Your hair needs some major taming".

Having a guy brush my hair seemed strange, but I was willing to go along with it for the sake of the mission.

"Fine you can do my hair, but no eyeliner for me" I said "Unless we're going to Mosh Pit".

I'd gone through a very wild period while in college, and I'd experimented with many different things, but I drew the line at wearing lipstick or glitter.

"Let's just keep that stuff for the girls" the Boy Wonder said.

Robin soon began brush the tangled mop that grew out of my skull.

"Dude, when was the last time you brushed your hair?" he asked.

The Monk of Dumar had been a hygienic group of people so I'd always been clean, but they'd all shaved their heads and while they'd not made me do that haircare had never been important. Plus they'd not had many mirrors.

"Uh" was my answer.

I really didn't know when I'd last brushed or even combed my hair. I washed it all the time, but I left it scruffy since I tended to wear a hood on missions and when I didn't I was rarely outside longer than I needed to be.

"Never mind" Robin said as he applied gel and tamed my hair "There you go. Try not to get it wet".

The girls seemed to think the new style worked for me, that or they simply being nice.

"Kaldur you don't need any styling since your hair is so short" the Boy Wonder was now saying "So Conner sit down its your turn"

The science project grunted in response and then walked over to Robin had set up all his stuff.

"You know if you ever stop being Robin, you could be a hair and make-up artist" Megan was now saying "The girls will love you".

The raven haired boy smirked in response, and I knew why he found that funny. It was because the kid of man who spent time styling women's hair wasn't the kind of guy who was interested things woman had to offer men.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Habour.**

Once everyone was ready, and Batman had supplied the ID cards, everyone gathered in the central room so I could go over the finer details of our mission.

"First of all do not touch the alcohol, doesn't matter if you are of drinking age or not everyone needs a clear head and you're more likely to detect if someone slipped something into your drink if its not alcoholic, so try to stick to mineral water" I told older members of the team "Second if someone offers you drugs try to get information out of them. I doubt anyone will offer you Venom in a nightclub, but if we get offered something and it would be good if we could get the name of some dealers. Third you must act as if your having fun, no brooding or hanging out by yourselves, mingle with people, buy them drinks and listen. Someone in that club might just let something slip".

I gave everyone a moment to digest what I'd just said before moving on.

"Now as for getting into the Iceberg Lounge that should be easy. I spoke with Batman and he's arranged for a limo to pick us up just outside of Gotham. Aqualad, Superboy, Powergirl, Miss Martian. Kid Flash and I will take the limo to the club. The driver will let us out directly in front of the Lounge. I'll run ahead and give the bouncer a bribe to let us in while the rest of you act as if this is just another night out. Also Megan and Supes will be a couple as will Kaldur and Power. Act like it and have dinner in the restaurant part of the club before moving the dance floor.

Corruption was rampant in Gotham so I foresaw no problems in getting into the club, as for the pairings they made sense as aside from Robin I was the sneakiest of the group, and by myself I might find out more.

"Wally will stay in the car with our equipment and bring it to us should we need it" I then informed everyone "and he'll also come in and cause a massive distraction if needs be. Meanwhile Robin, who knows Gotham best, will make his own way to the club and ninja his way in to the offices. Should he need a distraction then I want Kaldur and Supes to start a fight. Nothing major, don't show your powers just throw a few punches at each other. That should get the attention of security".

Hopefully the Boy Wonder wouldn't need us, but I was going to assume that things could go horribly wrong.

"If worst come to worst we we run like hell and head for the nearest teleporter" I then said "Now any questions?".

Everyone raised their hand and I figured this planning session could take a while.

(Line Break)

 **Iceberg Lounge. Gotham**

"Wait here I'll get us in" I said to the older members of the group as we piled out of the limo "Remember try to act like you belong".

Bribing the bouncer wasn't hard I just lied and told the guy that they were new actors and actresses who needed to be seen in the right places in order to ensure that their careers got off to a good start.

Once that was done we were let in, and I got a good look at the inside of the Iceberg Lounge, the place was huge and as I'd learned from the information Batman had sent it was divided into two sections. One was the dining area, which mostly catered to couples judging by the size of the tables and the number of chairs.

"Go have dinner" I instructed the others "I'm going to hit the bar and see if anyone fancies a chat. Once you're done eating head down and start dancing. Try to have fun".

The dance floor was crowded with people, all of which were young, rich and pretty.

"How are you going to get information" Kaldur asked me just loud enough to be heard "Its really noisy in here".

I looked at him over the rim of my sunglasses.

"By mingling" I replied "We're at a famous club with lots of girls, so I'll buy some drinks and flirt".

Possible I'd find some hottie to make out with. I'd see where the evening took me.

(Line Break)

 **The Iceberg Lounge. Gotham.**

Once the others had dined, they joined me in a part of the club that was far enough from the dance floor that it was possible to hear people talking.

"Did you get any information?" Aqualand asked me "From where I was sitting it looked like you were just trying to get a few dates".

I had no intention of ever seeing again any girl who came to this club. They were all spoilt rich girls who went about maxing out Daddy's credit cards, and most of them were doing drugs of some sort. Just not Venom.

"Seriously guys, we can have fun and get the information we need by talking to people" I reminded the group "I mean people aren't just going to come up to you and say 'Hey they keep the drug you're looking for in the back room' we need to put clues together".

Thanks to my cover of being an assistant to some up and coming actors and actresses I already had the phone number of a drug dealer who specialised in supplying large amounts of drugs to the right people and while it was doubtful he had what we were looking for if a certain darkly dressed figure visited him later on he might have something useful to say.

"So what did you guys find out?" I asked "You must have over heard a lot of people talking on the upper level and you had a much better view of the place than I did"

Before they spoke I knew they hadn't had much luck, it was written all over their faces.

"No one here seems to know about any Venom shipments" Aqualad answered.

Hopefully he hadn't gone and asked anyone about Venom directly as that could cause trouble for Batman later.

"I was also unsuccessful." Megan replied sadly "There's too many people for me to read".

The others had nothing to inform me about.

"Don't worry Megan" I said "it's not a big deal. I think this was more of a test of how we perform undercover than anything else".

Our last mission had gone wrong in the sense that it hadn't remained covert for very long, so I figured Batman wanted to give us another chance to prove that we could do things without drawing lots of attention.

"But what about the Venom?" Aqualad wondered "We can't go back without somethinf".

Actually we could.

"No one knew anything" I said "and don't forget Rob managed to take a look around without getting caught. Maybe he found something".

Aqualad seemed somewhat comforted by that idea.

"We should go" he then said "There is not point staying here if we can learn nothing".

I was enjoying myself, but he had a point and it was getting late so I followed everyone when they headed for the door.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"So how was the mission?" Batman asked not long after we had returned "Did you find anything".

Aqualad was now in charge again so he gave the report.

"We were unsuccessful" he said "Even Robin found nothing so we believe that the tip was either no good or it was meant to send us on..."

He seemed to struggle to find the right words.

"Wild goose chase" offered Kid Flash.

Batman nodded slightly.

"That sometimes happens" he then said "and it can't be helped. In any case you did well. Everything went as smootly as expected. We can call this is a training exercise and move on".

The Dark Knight then headed for the teleporter.

"I'll be in touch soon" he promised.

Given the late hour going to be seemed like the best course of action, so everyone said goodnight then went their seperate ways.


	8. Chapter 8

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 8**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"I am so bored I could cry" Kid Flash complained.

We were having what the League called a 'break night' it was one of those nights that the sidekicks and I had off. Which was most nights for most of us, but since Robin and Kid Flash had to balance their crime fighting duties with going to school it was important for them to have time off, and when they did they spent it with the team as part of our team bonding. Batman was off on a solo mission, leaving Robin with nothing to do for what had to be first time in months I guessed. So the Boy Wonder was here.

Red Tornado had approved of the idea of us just having a night to hang out, and so we had free reign to do whatever we wanted for the evening, but he'd also warned us that we needed to keep our comms with us in case there was a problem and this also meant that we had to stay somewhere near one of the teleports. That somewhat limited us on what we could do. Normally we watched movies but no one was in the mood for that.

"Yeah. We should probably go somewhere" I said to the group "If he starts crying it will get all awkward".

Currently Wally West was slumped in his seat, munching on a bag of potato chips so it seemed unlikely that he would actually get upset.

"Somewhere fun" Kid Flash insisted.

The tricky part would be finding something we all agreed was fun.

"I guess this is a little dull." M'gann said,

The Zeta Tubes, to give the teleporters their proper name, enabled us to get to any part of the country, and a few foreign countries as well, within a few seconds so travelling to another place was not a problem.

"What about the Zoo?" Robin suggested.

That would be better than sitting around here not doing anything. Perhaps I should have been training, but we did that a lot. Besides I needed to go outside and got some fresh air.

"It's eight o'clock" Wally pointed out "Are zoos even open this late".

Plus the whole animals in cages things wasn't very appealing to me.

"Not in California" Robin shot back.

I'd forgotten to account for the time different time zones. We could go somewhere it was lunch or even breakfast time tomorrow.

"No offence but I want to watch a bunch of animals lie around and eat food I'd just watch you boys" Power Girl said "and its less cruel".

I was midly offended but I didn't speak on the matter.

"We could go to a movie, perhaps." Kaldur offered next "So long as everyone can agree on what to see."

Now I had an idea.

"What about Las Vegas" I suggested "Not to gamble, I hear they have good shows. You know live entertainment for the whole family. And I can pay".

The team regarded my suggestion with mild interest, and soon the group began to debate the pros and cons of going to Las Vegas. However their mentors might not like it, considering what the city had a reputation for

"Why don't we just go to the fair?" Wally then asked.

Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"We have one going in Central City. Rides, food, games, booths" Wally told us "It runs till midnight. Plus we can't get in trouble for it since good old fashioned family fun".

And there would be junk food. I'd not had much of that over the last year.

"That sounds fun!" M'gann shouted out.

She seemed delighted at the thought of going to her first Earth funfair.

"I guess" Superboy said.

Eventually we all agreed that going to the fair would probably be the safer choice. The last thing they wanted to do was get Batman angry at us for visiting the city of sin.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" M'gann said excitedly "Let's get going"

I was dressed suitably so all I need to do was run and grab my wallet.

"Hold up everyone, I am so not dressed for going out" Power Girl stated.

Hopefully she'd be as quick changing this time as she had been when we'd gone undercover at the Iceberg Lounge.

(Line Break)

 **Funfair. Central City**

Given the time difference between Happy Harbour and Central City the fair was already in full swing when we arrived, but there was no line to get so quickly we bought our tickets and headed inside. Once within we saw the vast expanse of booths, games, and rides that stretched out before us like a landscape of fun.

The team quickly split up to go do what they wanted. Robin and Kid Flash, who had changed into their civilian clothing for tonight, wanted to head straight towards the the rides. Meanwhile M'gann wanted to take Superboy off to see the entertainments. As for Kaldur he just wanted to look around by himself, and so did I.

However before we all went off Megan made us promise that we would meet back at the ferris wheel in an hour. That way we would still have enough time to go and do something as a group.

Sespite my wish I did not up alone. Power Girl, who was currently dressed causal clothing, jeans, a white top and a red jacket had decided to stick with me.

"Now what do you want to do first?" she asked me "There's this thing called Cotton Candy I want try, or we could go on rickety roller coaster over there, or do you want to win me a big stuffed animal?"

Somehow this had turned into a date. I was unsure how I felt about that. Sure she was hot, but also she was a teammate and capable of snapping me in half should I ever piss her off.

"You're the one with cool super powers" I said "If you want a stuffed toy just go and win one. I just hit people with magic swords".

Power Girl had already picked up on woman's kind most deadly weapon, the sorrowful puppy dog eyes. I could not resist that attack.

"They don't give me money" she then said "Well I have an allowance, but I spent all that on clothes and some other stuff girls need".

Those were things I most likely didn't want to know about as I was already frightened by my knowledge about make up. I blamed my sisters for that.

"I can at least buy you some cotton candy" I decided.

By mutual agreement we soon decided to try our luck on the different rides and to eat sweet stuff afterwards. I think she had possibly a tiny bit too much fun ramming me during bumper cars, which had to mean something about how she felt about me, and we both found the Ferris wheel entirely uninteresting as it didn't give us any kind of rush. Granted even bumper cars were dull compared to flying around in a space ship, but at least I'd been able to drive the silly car.

Since the rides turned out to be boring for the most part I gave in and headed for the games. On some level I knew winning a girl a cuddly toy was not purely a friend thing, however I simply wasn't cruel enough to let her leave her first fun fair without a oversized teddy bear.

With that in mind I took three baseballs from a game vendor, and while I'd never been very good at sports my hand-eye coordination wasn't that bad. I had been rather good at darts even before my training.

"I like hanging out with you" Power Girl said before spotting something that caught her eyes "Oh please get me that big bear. The black and white one, he's even cuter than you".

Her saying that caused me to miss the target completely with the first ball, which wasn't really a big deal as it only a dollar a throw.

"Yeah its fun" was all that I was able to say in reply.

I had very mixed feelings about Power Girl's possible interest it me. On the one hand she was really hot since she was pretty much Galatea with long dark hair meaning she had really big breasts, and a nice butt to go with it. On the other hand she was team mate, and romances in the work place weren't normally a good idea, also she was about four and a half months old. But if she was mature enough to on dangerous missions then by rights she should be treated as an adult in all respects.

Since that was all something I needed to talk about with someone other than Power Girl I chose to ignore the issue and get on with this sort of date I unexpectedly had.

Slowly I blew out a huff of breath, and pitched the ball. It hit the milk bottles and knocked them right off the pedestal, making the vendor jump.

"Wow that was awesome" a small girl said from my left "Are you a baseball player?".

That throw had been far more impressive than I had anticipated. Had I been wearing my armour it wouldn't have seemed odd to me and I concluded that my training was making stronger.

"I was just lucky" I told the little girl.

Because I didn't want any moreattention we soon walked off and Power Girl was now clutching a massive stuffed panda bear that she already named I didn't doubt.

"So wanna deprive some more vendors of their stuffed animals?" my date for the evening asked "I bet my brother won a few for Megan".

If she was trying to appeal to my desire to compete with other males, she wasn't going to get far as I wasn't stupid enough to face a guy who was half Superman in any contest that involved using muscles.

"Oh please" she said while giving the sad eyes again "I don't have anything in my room that's girly. Win stuff for me".

I don't know who she'd learned to use puppy dog eyes from, but I would find out and make that person pay for giving Power such a weapon.

"Fine" I replied "But only because I'm a gentlemen at heart and can't say no to a lady".

It took a while, and ten dollars, but I emerged from the games section of the fun fair victorious. Power Girl ended up with a stuffed dinosaur, panda bear and for some reason she decided she'd wanted a Pikachu despite having not knowing that pokemon were.

"The Tunnel of Love" the woman at my side read out aloud "Gothic what does that mean?".

Since was pretty much new to the world it was possible that she simply didn't know.

"The tunnel is for lovers" I explained "Its a ride for couples".

Saying that only resulted in more questions.

"Lovers?" she asked sounding confused.

This was not fun to explain, and I was sure she must have heard the term before while watching television.

"Lovers are couples who are usually a man and a woman, but not always, who have a romantic involvement with each other" I told her "Like Black Canary and Green Arrow".

Thankfully she grasped that quickly.

"So two people that love each other" she said "This ride is for them".

Hopefully that was the end of that.

"How do people become lovers?" she then asked.

This was a some kind of torture, and it wouldn't surprise me if understood everything and just wanted to make me suffer. Women seemed to enjoy making men cringe.

"It's complicated for me to explain" I said "because there are many different customs that people follow".

Somehow I knew that wouldn't be the end of it.

"What do your people do?" she then inquired "To become lovers".

At this point I figured I was walking into a trap so I tried to keep my mouth shut, but Power Girl just stood and waited for an answer.

"Well its pretty much the same as here" I told her "If a guy likes a girl, he'll ask her out on a date. Like dinner or a movie, and then if the two people think they are compatible they will keep dating. Over time the relationship will become... intimate. That makes two people lovers".

She had to be doing this on purpose, that or someone else on the team had set this up. I suspected Megan.

"So we can't go on that ride" she said.

Which was something I thanked the gods for.

"No we're not going to become lovers just to go on a ride" I told Power "that would be wrong".

Hopefully now we could end this.

"But what if we were?" she then asked.

I didn't think that she merely wanted to speculate on the matter.

"Well we're not" I said firmly.

I then started to move away from the romantic ride.

"But I want to be" she then said to me "Then we could go on the ride"

I didn't think she understood what that would involve.

"We're not becoming lovers just so you can ride a little boat through a dark tunnel" I told her "We'll find a more fun ride, and then I'll get you something with chocolate".

Now she was upset, and I knew I'd handled this badly. Also I knew that chocolate would not solve this. Of course it had never been about the ride, she was naive not simple.

"You don't know anything about me" she said "You think I'm too stupid to have a boyfriend".

That wasn't the case, and this wasn't the time or place to discuss that as people were listening so I tried to calm things down.

"You're not stupid, just inexperienced" I clarified " You're just as intelligent as the rest of us, and anyone that says differently is the stupid one".

Hopefully that would soothe her pride.

"But how can I get any experience if I don't date?" she asked me.

She had me there, and no I knew there was only one way to get out of this that wouldn't result in pissing off a woman who could rip me in half.

"I will take you on a date" I offered "We can go see a movie".

That seemed harmless enough, but so did a lot of things. I got the feeling that I'd ever just gotten myself in trouble or that I'd fallen for a very clever trap. I simply couldn't tell.


	9. Chapter 9

**Reviews**

 **chishio dragon**

Red-X, Gothic the Immortal, and Azrael all have the same four super powers. Which are immortality, mental shields, the ability to perform magic and special genes in their DNA that cause their bodies and minds to perform better. They all became tougher and stronger than they were because they needed to be. Its like evolution.

 **zeroneko**

Thank you I hope you enjoy all the story.

 **Zeru'Xil**

Well not yet. She will have questions about it later.

 **Lord Inquisitor B Joseph H**

Thank you.

 **Elvisfonz23**

Oh yes Artemis. You'll just have to wait and see.

 **zanpaktospirit0**

Not one for courtship rituals are you.

 **DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 9**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"How was the movie?" Megan asked me when I walked into the kitchen "Or should I say, how was the date?".

Green girl was cooking again, and I was pretty sure she was cleaning up after people as well. It made me wonder if she'd learned about life on Earth via some old sitcom were girls her age all spent lots of time baking cookies, having hunky boyfriends, and being all enthusiast about things while at the same time learning to be housewives.

"It went fine" I told her.

Power Girl's desire for a lover seemed to satisfied by mere dating for the time being, so far we hadn't gone past holding hands. Which was good for me because I worried about her ignorance about adult relationships, and also about hurting her emotionally. Mostly that was because she could snap my neck with a flick of her wrists if she got mad enough, and even if she didn't her brother might. He'd already indirectly sort of killed me, and I had no desire to go through that again. Waking up a morgue was not fun.

"Meg have you talked to Power about what guys and girls do together?" I asked "I mean in a romantic sense?".

The green girl didn't seem at all embarrassed by this topic of conversation.

"Sure I have" she said to me "We talk about stuff like that all the time. She's very interested in boys, music, clothes, and the other stuff we read about in magazines".

Maybe it would be wise to request from Batman that a female member of the League come down here and give the girls a safe sex talk or something. I didn't need that talk, but I would be willing to endure it along with the other male members of the team if needs be. Because the last thing we needed was either of the girls getting pregnant, assuming that it could happen, and even if couldn't it would be very bad if a couple got together only to break up. It might even fracture the team.

"I just need to go make a quick call" I told the alien girl as I left the room.

When I got the central chamber suddenly a screen with Batman face on it appeared before my eyes. However before I could speak to him he spoke to me.

" _Gothic, gather the team"_ he ordered

Which was exactly what I did.

(Line Break)

 **Freeway. Outside Gotham.**

At first it had seemed odd to me that Batman had bikes and well as clothes suitable for wearing while on riding bikes all ready for us at such short notice, but then I remembered that he was Batman. It wouldn't shock me at all to discover he had an underground warehouse stocked with things the Justice League or my team might someday need. If so I would have to ask about getting my own utility belt.

"If dislike is the opposite of like. Does that mean disaster is the opposite of 'aster?" Robin asked.

Superboy did not replay, and I was sure the Boy Wonder was talking to him rather me as Robin kept turning his head towards Supes.

"See instead of things going wrong they go right."

Superboy stayed quiet causing Robin to sigh, so I decided to indulge him.

"Wouldn't success be the opposite of disaster?" I asked the Boy Wonder "If things go right they are a success".

Robin didn't take long to reply.

"I guess" he said before once again addressing the male half of the Wonder Twins "Clearly you're not feeling the success. What's wrong?"

Superboy kept an eye on the truck, but we did get a sort of answer to the question.

"Canary" he muttered "What business does she have teaching combat to a guy with super-strength?"

He was still so very naive.

"Taking out guys that are stronger than you is part of the job" the Boy Wonder told his team mate "Canary learned that the hard way. So did I".

With that, Superboy sped away leaving Robin and I far behind. At least until the robot monkey's attacked.

It took me a few moments to process the fact that there were robot monkey's and my inability to take them seriously was what led to them knocking me off my bike.

(Line Break)

 **School. Gotham.**

Robin and I made to the school just in time to see the android throw Superboy into the trophy case. Before Superboy could even move, the android picked up him and threw him into some nearby lockers, and of course into me.

This time I wasn't badly hurt, I seemed to be toughening up, so I got to see Superboy stand up and when he saw a picture of Superman in the locker, he punched the locker and went for the android again.

"Someone has Daddy issues" I muttered as the Boy Wonder helped me up "And possibly issues with me".

The first time could be put down to accident, but now I was worried that this might be become a habit.

"Well you are dating his sister" Robin said.

Superboy then went flying into the nearest classroom, which turned out to be a science lab.

"That...all you got?" Supes asked of the robot.

The android's next action was to raise his hand and point this palm at Superboy.

 _"Access: Captain Atom"._

Superboy was then blasted into the gym.

"I don't suppose you have a Bat thing that will disable the android" I asked Robin "You know like a Bat EMP?"

The Boy Wonder shook his head.

"All we can do is keep it busy until the rest of the team get here" he said.

I'd worried that he would say that, but it wasn't like we had any choice so I drew my two swords and jumped threw the hole in the wall while Robin went in by a different route.

When I got inside the gym I looked to Professor Ivo who was clapping while sitting on the bleachers.

"I don't usually attend these things in person, but this was too good to miss." He said

As I started to make my way over to Ivo, Superboy stood up and faced the android again.

 _"Access: Superman"._

I saw Superboy leap toward the AMAZO and the android brutally attacked Superboy in turn, never giving him a time to defend himself. Just when he was about to make the final blow, Kid Flash zoomed past and grabbed Superboy at the very last second.

Robin then threw an exploding batarang at the android, and I made a mental note to ask Batman for some of those.

 _"Access: Martian Manhunter"._

The batarang flew through empty space.

 _"Access: Red Tornado"._

I was no close to Ivo and I figured that if I threaten to remove his head then the machine would stand down.

 _"Access: Captain Atom"._

Apparently I hadn't been sneaky enough, the robot had detected me sneaking up on its creator so I ended up having to dodge blasts of energy.

When the android stopped firing at me I moved into sight and saw Robin send another batarang towards AMAZO, but the android blocked it. Then the somewhat human shaped robot grabbed Kid Flash as he went in for another attack.

 _"Access: Superman"._

The android started squeezing the life out of Kid Flash, who struggled against the machine, and I was about to charge in to try to help, when suddenly an arrow flew out of nowhere towards the android. The machine man switched from being Superman to the Martian Manhunter's just in time in order to avoid it, which caused him to drop Kid Flash, who quickly got out of his way.

Superboy went for another punch at the android who flipped him into the bleachers, and while that was going on Power Girl showed up and attacked from the other direction.

 _"Access: Green Lantern"._

Blasts of green coloured energy struck both of the Wonder Twins taking them out of the fight for a few moments at least. Meanwhile I leapt into action and tried to drive both my swords into the machine. The psychological effects of the weapons would be meaningless against an android, but unless I willed them otherwise they remained metal blade so they should have effect.

 _"Access: Superman"._

Heat vision shot out of the robot's eyes towards me and only thanks to Kid Flash efforts was I spared.

When I regained my senses I saw Robin throw yet another batarang at the android, however it harmlessly bounced off the machine's metal skin.

 _"Access: Black Canary"._

What happened next, really, really hurt, and it took a while for my hearing to return, by the time it did Ivo ended his evil villain monologue.

"So everyone keeps saying!" yelled Superboy "It makes me angry!"

He leapt towards the bad guy and smartly Professor Ivo quickly scrambled out of the way.

"You wanna see me channel that anger?!" Superboy screamed.

I feared we lose the building at this rate.

"Great he's gone ballistic again!" Kid Flash yelled.

He was in a 'Hulk Smash!' kind of mood.

"Amazo, protect your master" Ivo commanded as he scrambled to get out of Superboy's way "Priority Alpha".

Which the android did.

 _"Access: Captain Atom"._

The android tried to blast Superboy before he jumped out of the way, however it failed.

"Anyone wanna play 'keep away?'" Robin asked.

He kicked Ivo, sending him flying away, only he was caught by his winged monkeys. However he wasn't say for long as Power Girl smashed the small robots.

"Ooh me!" Kid Flash dashed over to the fallen Ivo.

Sadly the android prevented Wally from having a turn.

 _"Access: Superman"._

The android punched the floor and sent most of us flying. However not of all of us I saw when I picked myself up yet again. Just as the robot was re-materializing, after avoiding an attack by Power Gir. Superboy thrust his fist into the android's head. The AMAZO began to malfunction and the head exploded.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"The Amazo android is in pieces again, safely being analyzed in the two separate S.T.A.R labs." Aqualad explained to the team and the older heroes once we were all back at our base "Ivo escaped, and since he originated the tech, he's arguably more dangerous than the android".

He could only say that as he hadn't gotten nearly blasted by heat vision.

"Capturing the Professor will be a League priority" Black Canary said.

Which meant it wasn't ours.

"We understand your mission encountered...other complications" Martian Manhunter then said.

Everyone then glanced at Superboy, who looked away rather sheepishly. Although I didn't know why, it wasn't as if we could predicted an attack by robot monkeys.

"Complications come with the job." Batman said to all of us. "Your ability to handle those complications has impressed the League".

I didn't see how I could have impressed anyone. In fact when it came to the fighting I didn't think I was pulling my weight.

"The whole League?" Superboy asked.

Guys with Daddy issues were far less attractive than girls who had daddy issues I had discovered.

"Given time, yes." Batman said, knowing exactly who Supes was talking about. "Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads."

I snorted, but quickly covered it up with a cough when Batman looked at me with his infamous glare.

"Of course there is no shame in asking the League for help," Batman continued. "That's why the League exists. Because there are some problems even we can't handle".

I felt a twinge in my ribcage then and I wondered if I'd damaged something and it was still healing.

"Look familiar?!" I then heard Robin say "You were following us! Babysitting! You still don't trust us!"

I'd missed something important it seemed so I started to paying more attention as to what was going on.

"We didn't have anyone following you" Batman stated.

Green Arrow took the arrow and compared it beside his own. Both were obviously different.

"That's not your arrow..." Robin realised "But that means..."

I hadn't a clue.

"Speedy!" Kid Flash finished.

I vaguely recalled who that was, the guy who'd had a temper tantrum back at the the Hall of Justice. I didn't much care for him.

"He's got our backs" Aqualad said.

Kid Flash grabbed the arrow.

"Souvenir!" he declared.

I felt my ribs twinge again.

"Great now can we go to bed?" I asked grumpily.

I was tired and hurt. I really needed to lie down.

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" Kid Flash asked me.

I gave him answer.

"Because I had Superboy ram into me again tonight" I said "he's making a bad habit of it".

I then felt a strong hand on my shoulder.

"You know I never met to hurt you" Supes assured me.

I nodded.

"Yeah I know" I told him "I'm just tired. Think I'll go lie down. Get an early night".

If anyone looked concerned I didn't see it as I was already heading for bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 10**

Gotham City, one of the United States largest cities, was for the most part sleeping peacefully, however crime never sleeps and tonight was no exception. Down at the docks a group of men were unloading cargo from a pickup truck and moving it into a warehouse. While this wasn't a crime in of itself, what was in the boxes wasn't at all legal.

"We have to be quick" a goon said as he moved one of the crates of boxes "We don't want the Bat to show up".

Everyone knew that these dats Batman was often out of town working with the Justice League, but the crooks could never be quite sure when he was around and when he wasn't. In many ways that made it worse than when he always around.

"It's not the Bat we have to worry about" another law breaker said "Haven't you heard, there's a new masked mad man running around. They say he's the Angel of Death".

Which was one of the nicer names being used.

"Azrael?" another asked ""He's just a myth. It's the Bat and his little sidekick you have to watch out for in this city, everyone knows it".

Little did they know that their conversation was being listened to, however they didn't remain ignorant for wrong.

"I am not a myth" a voice said from above them.

The crooks all dropped the boxes and began reaching for their weapons.

"Hey!" a thug shouted "Come out where we can see you!"

The hooded figure did just that, and when the masked man reached for his two swords that rested on this back the leader of the crooks lost his nerve.

"Shoot him" he shouted.

Gunfire then filled the night.

(Line Break)

 **Gotham. Docks.**

"Is it the same as before?" Commissioner Gordon asked as he walked through the the crime scene "No one's dead, right?".

Bullock as was his habit chewed on the end of a match stick, he'd once smoked cigars, but he'd long since given them up.

"It is Commissioner. All signs point to a fight but no blood." Detective Harvey Bullock said "We've got bullet casings and guns that were fired, but no one has been harmed. Well their bodies haven't been touched, its just that the guys here were definitely damaged in their heads".

Another detective then spoke.

"In my entire career in law enforcement I have never seen something like this" Bullock's partner Ellen Yin said "All we can determine is that they started shooting, at something. Then they just stopped fighting".

"Do we have anything this time?" Commissioner Gordon asks "Someone we can talk to?".

In the past all those effected like these crooks were hadn't been able to talk about anything for a couple of days, and once they could it was all stuff about wanting forgiveness.

"We do Commissioner, we have someone willing to talk" Detective Ellen Yin informed her superior "Very willing"

This was good news as it meant they might finally have a led. Although what they would do if they caught the person behind these incidents was still up for debate.

Sure they could make an arrest, but they hadn't nothing to charge the guy with. It couldn't be called assault because there were no wounds, not even bruises. Yet something had to be done because Gotham really didn't need anymore amateur crime fighters running around.

"Who is he?" Gordon asked eagerly.

This time it was Bullock who answered.

"Small time crook, I guess he was hoping to make it to the big leagues" the overweight cop explained "Which is a little odd, cause most of the crooks here have done some serious time. This one has a juvie record, but he's been clean for a while".

Ellen Yin then lead her boss and partner to a man who was curled up in a ball.

"This is Hank Stevenson" the woman cop told the two men "he's not right in the head, but we can get him to talk".

Gordon listened to Hank and it sounded like the crazy he'd heard before. Other crooks at similar scenes to this one had ranted on about the things they'd done wrong, and they'd all promised not to do anything bad again.

"What the heck's he saying?" Detective Bullock asked "If he's just rambling on about what a bad guy he is then its nothing new".

The law officers listened somemore and then they heard a name: Azrael

"According to his file, Hank Stevenson has never showed any signs being mentally ill" A deep and somewhat familiar voice said behind the three cops "Which means he's been attacked psychology. Perhaps he's been dosed with some sort of drug".

James Gordon didn't need to turn around to know who had spoken, and often when he did the Dark Knight was already gone so this time he didn't bother to look.

"Batman, do you have any idea who could have done this?" the ranking police officer asked.

The Caped Crusader hadn't yet vanished so he was able to give some sort of answer.

"I've already ruled out the Scarecrow" Batman said "Fear gas does have a psychological effect, but these man aren't scared its more like they are consumed by guilt for the things they'd done".

Which in Gordon's view meant they most likely had a new player in town. That was nearly always a terrible thing.

"This person doesn't leave a trace" Bullock was now saying "He's like a ghost, no fingerprints, no footprints, fibers, no blood. Nothing for forensics. Not even a hair. It's like we are chasing a spook".

Gordon was for a moment amused.

"Sounds familiar" he said "If these men had physical injuries I would say they had encountered the Batman"

The Dark Knight often induced terror in Gotham less respectable citizen, but it was never as extreme as this.

"I know which makes this very disturbing" Batman said "This Angel of Death has only been active a few week yet during that time he has raided more than a dozen sites like this. And he has never left any witnesses who gave us an accurate description of their attacker".

Despite the name this Angel of Death had never actually killed anyone. Which suggested this might be the work of a hero, but no hero Batman had ever heard of could do this to people. There was one who might have been able to, but it wasn't his style. Yet Hank Stevenson had used that name, which meant there had to be a connection.

"He's targeting specific people" Gotham's Grim Guardian went of to say "Those with wrap sheets who have committed serious offences. This is the first time a minor criminal has been a target".

And by the looks of things the man had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"This is just guess work" Commissioner Gordon said "We don't have any real answers. We'll get some shrinks to take a look at Hank and see what we can come up with".

James Gordon's words were wasted. Batman was already long gone.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"So you think I've been sneaking out a night to chase bad guys?" I asked Batman as he handed the utility belt I had requested "You don't pay me enough for solo missions".

As ever the Dark Knight was not amused.

"I don't think you know you're doing it" the Caped Crusader said "This might be the result of the brainwashing the Order of Dumar. They attempted to make you Azrael, perhaps they did a better job than we thought".

This simply couldn't be the case as if I was Azrael then I'd been off killing bad guys at night and the blood would be on my swords. Plus there was no record of me leaving the base in the middle of the night, and I didn't have the tech skills required to delete the evidence off the computers that controlled the teleporters.

"You have mentioned how tired you've been recently" Batman then said "Your team mates have raised concerns, and over the last few weeks you're performance has been poor, but you've been training along with everyone else. You should be improving".

My fatigue was worrying.

"I did sort of die" I pointed out "Maybe me being tired has to do with me recovering form all that healing I did so quickly when I was in a coma. We still don't know how I managed that, maybe my tiredness is a side effect".

Despite not having as much energy as I used to I was sure I was actually stronger and tougher than I used to be. I'd not broken anything when fighting that AMAZO and Supes had rammed into pretty hard. Although I had been wearing my armour that time, which could explain the lack of any broken ribs.

"I won't rule out any other explanations" the Caped Crusader said "Could there be another Azrael? Did the Order of Dumar ever mention anything that might suggest they had a backup in case they couldn't turn you into the assassin they wanted?".

They hadn't but there was something I needed to tell Bats.

"The armour I wear isn't the only Suit of Sorrows" I mentioned "Mines an updated version, the original was worn by a Crusader. If that suit is still around it could mean that they have been working on another Azrael. Maybe they even had another monastery. I do remember one of the monks mentioning something about a group who called themselves The Order of Purity. They were part of the Order of Dumars, but they went rogue. Maybe those guys made their own Azrael".

Batman just looked at me some more.

"I'll look into it" he promised "For now I want you to stay here. I'll have the teleport put on lockdown just for tonight so you can't leave. Then if Azrael makes a move we'll know it is someone else".

That seemed the best way to clear my name, so I decided to go to my room and have an early night. That way when my name was cleared I'd rested enough to enjoy gloating about it.

(Line Break)

 **Gotham. Downtown.**

That night not far from the docks, Azrael slipped in the shadows of the warehouse. From there he was able to watch a group of men move military grade weapons onto trucks, these guns would be sold to different gangs who would then use those weapons to commit many crimes.

This was not something Azrael could allow, and while he coudn't stop all the shipments he could at least do something about this one. The so called Angel of Death was about to make his move to prevent the weapons leaving when he saw something out of the corner of his eyes. It was a young woman in a purple costume. Azrael watched as she crept towards one of the crooks.

Azrael kept watching as she attacked the thugs, this female crime fighter, he knew to be called the Huntress, attempted to create confusion by throwing a smoke pellet. This worked rather well, however a thug who must have had some experience in this situation managed to sneak up behind her and hit her over the head.

The smoke then faded away and it was clear this young woman was not going to be to defend herself due not being awake. Many of the thugs had nasty grins on their faces and Azrael didn't need to be a mind reader to know what was going on in their minds. Some were already reaching for the woman, while one thug was getting a rope.

"Hey we can have some fun with this broad, but later we have a job to do" one of the crooks told the others "After Black Mask gets his equipment, then we can do whatever we want with her."

A few of the men then dragged the woman over to a pole and tied rope around her. Which meant she was safe, at least for now, however should the Avenging Angel attack the evil men she might be hurt in the crossfire, but Azrael could not stand by stand by knowing she could be violated at any moment.

"Gentlemen" the hooded man then said loud to be heard by all "You are all sinners!".

The crooks had a lot of guns, and many of them knew how to use them, but that wasn't going to matter. You couldn't kill what you could not see, and the Huntress wasn't the only one with smoke bombs. None of them stood a chance.

Later once the dust had settled, the Avenging Angel went to free the captured woman only to find that she had freed herself. Which was to be expected. The Huntresses needed no ones help.

(Line Break)

 **Downtown. Gotham.**

Not so long after meeting the Dark Knight down by the docks Gordon found himself once more talking to the Caped Crusader as his men cleaned up another incident.

"Most of them were small times crooks. Nothing major on them other than drug trafficking." Detective Ellen Yin said as she kneelt down and looked at one of the fallen crooks more closely "The Black Mask must have hired them to replace the men he's lost".

None of them had died, that was important to remember, but the ones who had been able to recover since the first attacks some weeks ago were still in police custody because they'd confessed to all their crimes, and now those crimes had to be investigated. None of the crooks had requested bail either, they seemed to want to be locked up.

"Azrael has never been this sloppy before" Detective Bullock stated "We picked up a guy who ran from this place. He's given us our first real description of this so called Angel".

Both Gordon and the Caped Crusader wondered what was different about this scene.

"Something happened here" Batman said "Something that made him attack more carefully and also more brutally".

In the past Azrael had never left signs of physical injury, but some of the bad guys here had been hurt. Not badly, but they had been hit. Also the Dark Knight suspected his was because the Angel had needed to disarm the crooks very quickly. Until now Azrael had never seemed worried about guns so someone else must have been in danger.

"It won't be easy. This guy moves fast and knows where the bad guys are. He's stopping crimes we don't know are happening." Ellen Yin was now saying "Meaning he has to have an inside source feeding him information about Black Mask's operations".

The Dark Knight was thinking along the same lines, only he was sure that the so called angel had gotten his information from one of two places. Either his own computer, which was impossible since it was in the Batman, or from the League who were aware of many crimes they never had the chance to deal with.

"Batman I may not have the right to ask this" Gordon said but I think the Justice League should get involved. This guy is a pro, but he's been lucky so far. Sooner or later someone will get killed, and when that happens I'll be forced to start a city-wide manhunt".

Again his words weren't heard by the Dark Knight as he was already gone.

"I hate when he does that" the police officer complained.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

 _"Okay team, this is the mission"_ the Batman on the screen said _"Your target is Azrael, or as we know him Gothic"._

Once the team had calmed down enough to hear him the Dark Knight explained his theory about how the programming created by the Order of Dumar must have somehow activated, and that it was possible that Gothic wasn't even aware that he was running about Gotham at night attacking crooks with magic swords.

 _"For the past few weeks he has been making serious moves in Gotham"_ the Caped Crusader went on to explain _"So far only Black Mask's organization has been targeted and we suspect that Azrael is using information gathered by the League to plan his attacks"._

Some of that information was displayed for the team.

 _"Last night he hit the docks, a warehouse and a night club"_ Batman went on to say _"These are three locations being used to distribute guns to the different street gangs in Gotham, the guns are unloaded at the docks and then stored a warehouse, then a deal is made at the nightclub. Azrael has followed the trail of these weapons, and if he holds to it then we know where he will be next"._

A map was then displayed before the eyes of the team.

 _"Tonight a shipment will be delivered by truck to an abandoned building in Gotham. Once there the weapons will be finished being paid for and be handed over. But the shipment is not our concern, this is about stopping Azrael before things get out of hand"_ the Dark Knight said firmly _"So far no has been killed so if we can stop Azrael quickly then the GCPD won't trouble themselves investigating someone who isn't taking lives"._

Gordon and his officers had other things to deal with, so Batman was sure if Azrael simply faded away that he would be forgotten about. Perhaps sooner rather than later if some of Gotham's more colourful characters started making trouble. Which they so often did.

"What do we do once we have captured him?" Aqualad asked the Dark Knight.

Batman understood the importance of this question and so he shared his full plan with the team.

 _"My research into the Order of Dumars suggests that while they did have some mystic power its most likely that their brainwashing techniques are based on tried and true methods that they refined over several centuries"_ the Dark Knight told them _"There are plenty of cults and fringe groups around that know how to mess with a person's mind. The good news is that are people who can undo such programming so once we have Azrael I'll have de-programmer I trust go to work, and you'll have your team mate back"._

Batman was confident that it wouldn't even take that long, at least not with the de-programming, the real recovery would take longer, but that would be aided by getting Gothic back with his friends.

Most people fell under the influence of cults because they felt their lives had no meaning, but the covert team did have a purpose. Gothic would need that to give him a sense of purpose and belonging.

 _"There's one more thing"_ the Caped Crusader went on to say _"Azrael met with the Huntress and according to the tracker I placed in his utility belt he's currently at her apartment, or at least the belt is"._

Batman at once knew that the team was thinking.

 _"You can not go after him during the day and I do not want a fight breaking out in residential area"_ the league member said firmly _"You are to wait until dark and intercept him when he goes after the shipment. Is that understood?"._

Their agreement was not enthusiastic, but Batman got it.

 _"Good"_ he then said _"Now go bring him home"._


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Note**

Be warned things get adult in this chapter, if you dislike that sort of thing then don't say I didn't warn you.

 **DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 11**

 **Apartment. Gotham.**

"Well, what else do you want from me?" I asked

I was beginning to get a little exasperated. This was all very confusing. I didn't remember even coming to Gotham, and now I was in the Huntress's apartment trying to get dressed while she yelled at me.

"You can't tell me you don't remember" the rogue crime fighter was now saying "I rocked your world last night, twice, to thank you helping me out twice, and now that we've had sex you're going to pretend it never happed. You league types are all the same".

Now I felt guilty, and not just sort of cheating on Power Girl, not that it was cheating as she wasn't my girlfriend. However she might not see it that way so I'd have to handle her very carefully when I reported all of this to the rest of the team. Assuming of course I ever went back, that might no longer be an option.

"I'm not ashamed or anything" I said the dark haired woman "I really don't remember. I was brainwashed by a group known as the Order of Dumar, they wanted to turn me into an assassin called Azrael. He was in driving seat last night".

Helena, if that was her name, looked at me for a moment and then stopped being mad at me.

"You're telling the truth" she said.

I was surprised she believed me, and she picked up on that.

"This is Gotham" she reminded me "brainwashed assassins don't even rate a three on my weird-o-meter, and you do seem different than last night. You were more aggressive".

Now I felt guilty again.

"Not like that" she assured me "I made all the moves when we got back here, but before then you very insistent that you bring me safely home. Not that I needed your help".

Well that seemed to have cleared things up.

"So are we good?" I asked "was I good?".

I must seem rather pitiful right now as I was getting a look of sympathy.

"You really don't remember" she stated "You poor boy. Was that your first time, tell the truth?".

Before I could say anything else she let her bathrobe fall to the floor and then she began stroking her breasts, letting her fingers trail across the tops and sides and then slowly circling each nipple. I was unable to take his eyes off her.

"Does this jog your memory?" she asked.

Slowly, Helena ran her fingers down her stomach and lightly stroked her most private of areas, which were covered by something very tiny and made of satin.

"Now tell me the truth" she said.

I simply had to confess.

"It wasn't my first time" I told her "but its been a while since I've had sex, or remember having sex. More than a year. I was living with monks".

While still smiling at me, she hooked her fingers in the waistband of her panties and then slid them down over her hips. I saw that her pubic hair was shaved into a narrow, vertical strip that might as well have been an arrow pointing me in the right direction.

"Well we could go again" she offered "I wouldn't feel right kicking you out without making you remember me".

She was totally naked so I wasn't going to forget her and she was close enough to me that I could smell soap and something more fruitfully scented coming off her body. When she moved closer I could also feel the heat coming off her. She was very warm.

The next thing I knew she was pushing my head into her chest, and without thinking about it I put one of her nipples into my mouth.

"Don't be shy" she instructed "Bite me"

Not wanting to hurt her, but wanting to please her. I did what she wanted and bit into her flesh. Which she seemed to enjoy at first, but she stopped me before too long.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

Her smile told me I hadn't.

"Not at all. I just want to do something" she explained "Last night you were good, but I think I better the led this time".

The Azrael she had met was the product of monks brainwashing me, so they'd most likely not filled the programming with a concern for a woman's pleasure. In fact it was surprising that Azrael had even had sex with the Huntress, which suggested that he might be more me than it seemed.

"Pay attention" Helena then said to me.

I'd drifted for a second, but now I was back in the present.

"I'll make you pay attention" she promised.

Still smiling, Helena bent forward pulled down my boxers, which was the only item of clothing of mine I'd been able to find, and once my cock was frees she licked it. Starting at the base and running her tongue slowly up the length. Next she circled the tip of my cock with her tongue. Which just made me want more.

Slowly, taking her time, Helena moved her mouth up and down taking a little more of it in each time. Which was a torment at first as I wanted more, but thankfully she soon had the entire length of my cock in her mouth. Then she cupped my balls in her right hand, and squeezed very gently. Sadly she didn't do this for very long.

"I'll be right back. Don't go away," she said playfully

She straightened up and walked out of the room, leaving me alone and a little worried about she had planned. I was dealing with a woman who knew her away around a penis, so she was experienced and therefore might have a few kinks I wasn't prepared for.

When Helena returned after a minute, holding something in her hand I almost got out of bed. Only it turned out not to be something scary, like say a whip.

"I'm sure you've seen one of these before" the crime fighter said while showing the item "the bad news is you have to wear one. The good news is I'm going to do all the work".

After putting the condom on me she place my cock at the opening of her pussy. Then she slowly she pressed down on me, pushing my cock inside her a fraction of an inch at a time until it vanished from sight.

She then held still for a moment, before wiggling her hips just a little. Soon after that I could feel her moving upward and away from me and just when I was about to slip out of her, she pushed slowly downward again, it was great.

This was something she did again, and again until it felt like I was deeper inside her than should be possible.

"Try . . . to hold . . . back," she gasped

She was moving gradually faster, and now my cock was sliding easily in and out of her very wet pussy. Then she was moving even quicker than before, trying to reach her orgasm before I did. I tired to hold back, but the sensations she was making me feel were overwhelming. It had been a very long time since I'd been with a woman who knew how to please a man like this.

When I orgasmed it seemed to push her over the edge, and she screamed in pleasure so loudly that someone other than me must have heard.

Seconds later, it was over for both of us, and she let her body sag onto me so that she could catch her breath.

"Bathroom's through there" the Huntress said once she had rolled of me "You can go clean up. Take a shower".

(Line Break)

I figured either I must have been better than I'd thought or she had faked her orgasm last time and was willing to give me another chance, because the came and Huntress joined me in the shower.

Within seconds our hands were all over each other. I was getting to touch all the places I hadn't been able to touch before. Which was a lot of fun.

Because she had big boobs I decided to spend lots of time kissing and sucking on her nipples. Next I stared biting the right one gently, while squeezing her left breast. Of course I switched between the two quite often so she ended up with little bite marks all over both tits.

Meanwhile Helena leaned back against the wall of the shower, making little moaning sounds of pleasure as I went about having as much fun with her breasts as was possible.

Suddenly Helena pulled away from me, knelt down and took my erect cock in her mouth. She sucked me hungrily, but for not very long.

Then she stood up, turned around and pressed her hips against mine.

"Fuck me" she demanded while reaching her hand back so as guide my cock to her pussy "You know you want to".

Indeed I did, but there was a small problem.

"What about a condom?".

I wasn't worried about getting an STD not when I could heal electrical burns so well, but they weren't the only reason to use protection.

"Forget the condom!" she yelled "Just do it I'll take a morning after pill".

The desire to plow her was too much to resist and Helena gasped in pleasure when I started to slowly move in and out of her. With her hands braced against the shower wall, she pressed backwards to meet my thrusts, which pushed my cock deep inside her as possible inside.

I could feel her urgency for me to pick up the face, so I did I gradually increased the speed of my movements until the only thing stopping me from going faster was the fact that I'd either damage her or the shower.

(Line Break)

 **Apartment. Gotham.**

When I walked into the bedroom, I saw Helena standing in front of her mirror. She had put on a robe and was combing her wet hair. Even before she spoke I could tell that sexy time with her was over.

"This was wrong. It can't happen again," she said,

She was looking at my reflection in the mirror rather than look at me directly so I got to see my reaction.

"No. It wasn't wrong" I said "It was great"

The second time I'd last way longer and she'd cum for sure. She'd been very vocal about it.

""You've got to promise you won't come here again," she insisted while turning around and staring intently into my eyes "I mean it".

I returned her gaze and began searching her face for some emotion, some clue as to her abrupt reversal from willing sexual partner to ice-cold stranger. I found only determination in her eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked her "Didn't you enjoy it, too?"

I felt a little upset right now, and I wasn't sure why.

"No it was fine" she told me "Look do I have to spell it out for you?".

Apparently she did.

"I'm not the girlfriend type" she explained "Last night was just fun nothing else. Now you should go".

She didn't even let me finish getting dressed. I ended up outside her apartment half naked, still wet from the shower and holding my armour. I had nothing else to wear and no where to go.

"Bitch!" I shouted.

This had to be what women felt like when they had a one night stand without realising that it was going to be until the next morning. It was a sucky thing to do anyone.

Then things got worse. I started to feel dizzy, and while I tried to stay standing up I soon fell to the ground. Seconds later the stars and the hallway faded to black.

(Line Break)

 **Gotham. Downtown.**

" _He's not showing up Robin, all the trucks are unloaded"_ Superboy said over the telepathic link _"If he wanted to stop this shipment from being sold then he's too late"._

Since this was Robin's turf Aquadlad had given the Boy Wonder the lead for this mission. That was why everyone was reporting to him.

" _Maybe the gang is his target"_ Robin replied " _We're only assuming that he's trying to hurt Black Mask by ruining the sale of the weapons, the guns might be what he really cares about"._

Further telepathic conversation came to an end when the sound of gunfire filled the air, and the team decided that it was time to leap into action. However by the time they entered the building the gang had already been taken out, it had happened very quickly.

"So the Junior Justice League has come for me." Azrael said as he stepped out from behind the truck which held the guns "They should have sent the grown-ups".

 _'Miss Martian, see if you can read his mind'_ Robin mentally ordered _"If this isn't Gothic then you should be able to get into his head"._

The Boy Wonder didn't take things for granted, he wanted to make sure the team knew who they were dealing with before they acted.

 _'On it Robin'_ she sent back

The alien girl eye's began to glow.

"Don't bother trying to read my mind Miss Martian, your telepathic tricks won't work on me" Azrael said.

The powerful mental shields Me'gann encountered were exactly like the ones used by her teammate which confirmed everything Batman had told them.

"Now since I know you won't back down without a fight" Azrael went on to say "I guess I'll have to give you one".

The Atlantean attacked first and after exchanging a few punches Aqualad was forced to fall backwards. Kaldur simply hadn't been prepared for the greater skill of Azrael, who had centuries of experience to call upon.

Robin jumped in and attempted to kick Azrael, but the wearer of the Armour of Sorrows grabbed his leg at the very last moment while also slamming his palm into the Boy Wonder's chest. Then using his super human strength Azrael redirected Robin's attack so that the masked teen rammed into the wall.

"Stop being silly and come home" Power Girl shouted as she attempted to grab Azrael "We'll get you some help".

It wasn't the so called Angel who acted next. It was another masked figure, one that Azrael hadn't thought he would see again, at least not so soon. The Huntress took down Power Girl and Superboy in a matter of seconds using a net of all things. It wouldn't hold them for very long, but it did buy some time.

"And here I thought you were done with me" the so called Angel said.

Helena hadn't expected a larger reaction than that, and so she was surprised by how calm the masked man was.

"I'm not the type to treat people so badly" Huntress replied as she puleds out her staff "I wanted to say sorry for being such a bitch".

The wearer of the Armour of Sorrows had other things on his mind right now, more important than any woman, so he focused on the heroes rather the woman.

One of those things was Kid Flash, who had was now moving at super speed. Azrael was somehow able to guess where Wally West would be and the super fast teen came to a sudden stop when he tripped over Azrael's staff.

Megan acted next, she lifted the so called Angel into the air, and for a second it looked as if the fight was over.

"Tell me, why are you fighting me?" Azrael asked the team.

He didn't have to wait long for answer.

"To get our friend back" Robin said.

Azrael had no desire to harm these heroes, and he also understood that they weren't simply going to leave him alone. The only thing he could do about right now was either keep fighting or better yet to leave, and do that without being followed meant throwing around a lot of smoke bombs.

The confusion caused the green girl to lose her mental grip on the so called Angel and even the Boy Wonder wasn't able to track Azrael's movements thanks to the smoke bombs.

"Because of you we lost him" an angry Power Girl said to the Huntress.

The rogue crime fighter very quickly decided that this was a good time to get out of Gotham for while.


	12. Chapter 12

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 12**

"What?!" I exclaimed, as I read the headline of the morning edition of the Gotham Times

The other people in the supermarket check-out line turned and gave me some dirty looks, but I ignored them and looked over the headline again.

 _GOTHAM'S NEW GUARDIAN ANGEL, AZRAEL_

So now the paper knew that I was running around Gotham and fighting crime. This was very bad, not only because I suppose to be part of a covert team but also because the local villain were now going to come after me, and try to kill me, just like they tried to kill Batman. And while I couldn't die I didn't have access to the resources or the training the Dark Knight did so I was in for a world of pain.

" _Is it any worse than having an Angel in your head?"_ a voice asked me.

That was the other thing I had to worry about. My alter ego, the brainwashed performed by the monks was now talking inside my head, or to put another way I had an angel in my head. Sometimes fact was stranger than fiction.

" _Actually is it"_ I mentally replied _"I'm crime fighting in Batman's city, and he knows about it for sure. The only way this could get any worse if I'd killed someone. If that happens Bats will lock me up in Arkham"._

And if that happened I'd come out crazier than I already was. My life would soon consist of me breaking out of Arkham, going on a rampage, and then getting thrown back into Arkham by the Dark Knight.

" _I will not allow it come to that"_ Azrael assured me " _Nor will I kill anyone._ _When Batman offered you a place among heroes you swore never to kill and I would not have you break that oath"._

Well I'd not sworn an oath per say. It was more that Batman had glared at me while telling me not to kill anyone and I'd just nodded. Not that I had any intention of murdering anyone, but nor was I going to go out of away to save anyone, especially not psychopaths.

" _Quite correct"_ the Angel in my head then said _"You should not endanger yourself or others due to some foolish belief that everyone can be save. Everyone man and woman on this planet has free will, only they can chose if they are to be saved".  
_

I was sure that many members of the League would disagree with that statement, as for me I really didn't care. I just wanted to stop hearing a voice in my head.

" _To protect the weak and to aid your fellow man is noble"_ Azrael was now saying _"However redemption can only come from a desire to be forgiven. These super villains you think about have damned themselves, and will not be be saved unless they wish to be"_

I mentally requested that he stop with the sermon and focus on the problem at hand, which was avoiding getting beaten up and then handed over to the police by Gotham's Caped Crusader.

" _Perhaps rather than worry about this Batman finding us, we should find him, then engage in battle and defeat him"_ Azrael suggested _"If is his beaten then he would have to at least consider that perhaps his way of battling evil is not the only way"._

I startled the poor girl running the checkout when I replied out loud to what Azrael that just said.

"He'd slaughter us!" I said too loudly.

Embarrassed, I apologised to the poor overworked teenager and paid for the things I needed.

" _I sincerely doubt he would do that"_ Azrael replied _"I am quite sure he would devise method that would destroy me while sparing your life"._

That did sound like something Batman would do, and is having the Dark Knight looking for me wasn't bad enough the Team would also come after me, and I'd managed to upset the Huntress somehow.

 _"You do not understand why she acted the way she did?"_ the voice in my head asked me as I left the store.

My current theory was that she was a crazy bitch.

"No" I softly replied.

The being in my mind seemed amused, somehow.

 _"You should learn to observe your surrondings"_ he said _"A person's home is often a reflection of themselves. The Huntress is a very lonley person. I saw that and so did you. The clues were all around you. She had no photos of herself as an adult with friends or family, however there were pictures with herself at a younger age with other people. Which suggests she lost everyone close to her sometime ago and since then has not allowed herself to get close to anyone else"._

Now her actions made much more sense. No wonder she hadn't cared about me being two different people. She was was lonely, and possible more than a little crazy, but at the same time she didn't want anyone to get close.

"Okay so that's one issue dealt with" I said as I made my way back to the hotel I was currently staying at "Now I just need to find a way to deal with the fact that I have an angel in my head".

Which wasn't going to be easy.

(Line Break)

 **Hotel. Gotham**

As it turned the Order, who had taken me in and then brainwashed me, had been rather wealthy, and since the monks were either dead or hiding from the League of Shadows, that meant there was no one to object to me withdrawing from their accounts. Azrael had gotten me some money by explaining to me how the hidden accounts could be accessed. How a supposed Angel from the era of Crusades knew about that sort of thing was a total mystery to me.

Not that was I complaining as it turned out having access to a few million dollars made life much, much easier. I'd been able to rent a decent room with in hours of being kicked out by the Huntresses. If I'd wanted to I could stayed at the Ritz and rented the penthouse suite, but that would have hardly been covert.

Now if I just undo this brainwashing I might actually be able to build a life for myself. I doubted the League would let me stay in the team now that I had plasted the name Azrael all over the papers and even I hadn't I would considered too unstable to go fight crime, but there were plenty of other things I could do with the skills and the wealth of centuries old order. I could explore this world, or... well I could do lots of things. The sky was the limit.

" _Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I am not just some brainwashing the Order submitted you to?"_ the voice in my head asked _"That maybe, just maybe, there's truly another being sharing your soul?"_

Rather than reply right away I started to unpack my shopping. I'd not brought much so it didn't take long and found myself unable to resist talking to Azrael.

"No I'm schizophrenic" I told the voice in my head "I'm not sharing my body with an angelic being. I'm pretty sure real angels don't need to ride around in mortal bodies. And if they do exist then they are divine beings of great power, but I've not been going around healing the sick or feeding the hungry. No miracles here".

I had more to say.

"You are just a persona that the monks fed into my brain" I then said "It didn't work like it was suppose to, and then when I got electrocuted it must have knocked something lose inside my head and let you out. But you're not in charge. You just take over sometimes when I'm asleep".

I got the sense that Azrael was unhappy and then the next thing I knew the nicely furbished carpet of the hotel room was right up in my face.

(Line Break)

 **Unknown.**

I found myself floating in a white, featureless place. I was pretty sure that currently my body was lying on the nicely carpeted floor of my hotel room, but I was also here in some sense. Not physically so I assumed this part of my own mind, either that or the whole immortality hadn't worked out and I was dead.

Oddly I was okay with that, this place was rather peaceful if it wasn't part of my own mind I figured it was Limbo. The monks had told me about it, Limbo was a place that was neither, Heaven, Hell or Earth, it was sort of in between and neither a good or bad place to be. It just was.

"Hello? Is there anyone out there?" I asked.

Almost immediately the scene around me changed. Now I was standing in the Monastery I'd lived at for the better part of a year. Only it was empty of people. I checked to be certain, but even in the chapel I found no one, yet it all the candles were lit and the incense was burning so it even smelled right.

"Azrael!" I called out "Is this you doing this?".

A luminous being then appeared besides the altar and when the light faded I could see a man dressed in the Armour of Sorrows. Only it wasn't the armour I sometimes wore this being, for lack a better term, looked like a Crusader from medieval times.

"Why have you brought me here?" I asked

I felt relaxed, but while I didn't panic over the fact that the voice in my head could knock me out whenever it wished, it was still a concern that needed to be addressed.

"We must discuss this, Gothic" Azrael said.

That was the first time that the so called Angel had used the name I'd chosen for myself. Which I assumed meant something important. I just didn't know what.

"Are you real?" I asked.

I'd passed out and now I was either in my own or head or in Limbo, and no matter which was true it was clear to me now that this 'angel' was something more than just a brainwashing program some monks had forced into my brain. Perhaps the Order had used mystical arts as well, or perhaps the Armour of Sorrows I wore was powered by something divine and that was somehow responsible for Azrael seeming so real. I really didn't know and I didn't think I ever would.

"Truthfully I do not know" Azrael said "It could be that I am the result of centuries of work by the Order of Dumars. A persona they somehow created that has become so complex that it is now more than mere brainwashing. Maybe I only think I am an Angel".

That made him sound like some kind of mystically created AI. Which might be what he was.

"You may not remember, but I do. The Monks tried to indoctrinate you with their propaganda" Azrael told me "Those just sermons you were forced to attend, they were the work of a cult which wished to control you through insidious methods you couldn't even detect"

I'd assumed that I was immune to such things because of my mental shields, and while they did stop telepathic people from getting into my head. There were more subtle ways to influence people's minds. The monks had been turning people into Azrael for centuries so they'd had plenty of time to perfect their methods.

"So where do we go from here?" was my next question.

We really did need to resolve this.

"That is up to you, Gothic" he told me "I am awake now, but you are not, and when you are awake I can not act. Also it seems that we can not co-exist peacefully, and I fear I would drive you mad".

I could not argue with that. I already felt a little crazier than normal, and I'd hardly been the most stable of people before now.

"It would be a simple thing to retreat into your subconscious again, and leave you to your own fate. To never speak with you again" Azrael informed me "Is that what you wish?".

This seemed ideal, but there was a problem.

"If you really are alive in some way, then you'd be stuck inside my head for as long as I live" I reasoned "and since I seem to be immortal that could be for very long time".

My belief was that no one and nothing last forever, even I would die one day, but it could be thousands of years before that happened.

"Realize this, Gothic" the being said "If you choose to keep me in my awakened state but remain in control of your body, I will be with you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and no one else will ever hear my voice but you. Many will think you are schizophrenic, and as such attempt to incarcerate you".

That would be a problem. I really didn't want to go to Arkham, even it was easy to break out of it.

"So even if I don't go bonkers I'll have no privacy" I realised "That will suck if I find myself in an intimate situation with a woman, and let's face it I can't live without sex".

Azrael chuckled

"That might not be a such a bad thing I have been bonded to vigorous human males for several centuries" he said "I know many things about pleasing ladies".

That was hardly angelic behaviour, but I soon recalled that there were stories about angels finding the daughters of men attractive enough to marry them and make babies called Nephilim. _  
_

"And this was back when most young ladies of noble birth wore chastity belts" Azrael went on to say "You'd be surprised how erotic they can be and not only married women wore them. Fathers went to great extremes to keep their daughters virgin".

I really didn't want to know as back then girls far to young to have sex by today's standards were often already married so some of Azrael's sexual encounters would be deeply disturbing for me to remember.

"Let's not share my head" I decided.

There was no way it would end well for either of us.

"If that is your wish, then I shall retreat into parts of your mind that you are not aware of, such as this place" Azrael said "However, I will still be present as you and I will never truly be separated until your death. Which means the talents I posses will be yours to access, and you may find yourself dreaming of events from long ago. But do not fear these the talents and knowledge will aid you".

That sounded wonderful for me, but it wasn't just myself I needed to worry about. This being might not be the Angel of Death, but he seemed real enough and that meant he had a right to his own life.

"Will you be okay living in the back of my head?" I inquired.

Azrael looked like a medieval crusader so his face was hidden by a helmet, yet somehow I knew he was smiling.

"I've existed inside people's minds for centuries" he reminded me "and once I slip into your subconscious I will no longer be aware of the passage of time. I will exist only in your dreams, so you need not fear me taking over your body while you sleep".

He seemed certain of that, which eased my concerns, and I wondered if he'd made this arrangement before.

"Perhaps once in a while we will dream together" the being mused as he started to fade away "now go and find your friends. You have important things to do".

I wasn't certain what was happening now, but I was pretty sure I was waking up, the very last of Azrael I saw was him in the empty whiteness that went on forever. Then I didn't see him at all. He was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Reviews**

 **Stormbringer117**

They have the same powers to start with but all the DC Gothics develop in different ways. Plus I think its cool how Azrael is possibly angelic while Gothic the Immortal is a little demonic.

 **DG Gothic – Young Justice 1**

 **Part 13**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour**

" _Recognized Kid Flash, B04_ ".

Wally came out of the zeta-tube, and for some reason he was carrying what looked like everything we would need for a party in some boxes. Which was strange as we weren't having a party, at least not as far as I knew.

"The Wall-man is here let's get this party start..." Wally began to say.

He tripped over something I didn't see, and while we all knew what would happen next none of us were able to prevent Kid Flash from humiliating himself in front of our new member

"Wall-man huh?" the new girl said "What's your power?"

The newbie wore a green costume with knee-high boots, elbow high gloves, a utility belt, and a mask that covered part of her face. She had something covering her body I just didn't know what to call it, but I did liked it as it showed of her figure.

"Who are you?" Kid Flash asked while getting up.

None of us had yet been given a name so we all wanted to hear her answer the question.

"I'm Artemis" she said "Your new teammate".

Since I didn't know this Artemis I had nothing against her, but I did resent the League adding a new member to the team without even consulting us. Also I found it odd that they would add someone to the roster as it was hard to be a covert team when you had a lot of people in the group. We were more likely to get in each others way the more of us there were.

Not that I objected verbally as my place in the group wasn't exactly secure right now what with me being a little mentally unstable, not to mention the friction between myself and Power Girl. She was not happy that I'd had sex with the Huntress.

"Kid Flash" Wally replied "Never heard of you".

None of us had which suggested she was new to the super hero gig.

"She's my new protégé" Green Arrow explained.

Suddenly the computer spoke up.

" _Recognized, Speedy B09._ "

Speedy walked into the central chamber and I knew right away that he was on his period again.

"First off" he said "It's not Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow".

Green Arrow then walked forward.

"Roy.. You look..." he tried to say.

He trailed off as Red Arrow got right up in his face.

"The word you're looking for is: replaceable" he supplied "It didn't take you long to pick up a new partner I see".

In my view Speedy look dreadful, the guy was either on drugs or he'd not slept for a few days. Perhaps both.

"Please, Roy" Green Arrow then said "Listen to me, Artemis is not your replacement".

Robin spoke next.

"We've always wanted you on the team" the Boy Wonder stated.

I interrupted him before he could speak further.

"Speak for yourself" I said "With this bratty attitude he has no place on any team never mind one as important as this".

Red Arrow glared at me, but I just stared him down. He didn't intimate me, few things could now that I had all the skills of knowledge of Azrael guiding me from my subconscious mind. Which was in my view a small price to pay for the weird dreams.

"I found out where Dr. Serling Roquette was taken after she mysteriously disappeared several weeks ago" Red Arrow then told us "she was kidnapped by the League of Shadows. Her expertise is Nano-technology, and she was working on something called the 'Fog'; which is a bunch of Nano robots that can eat through anything, and steal information from any computer. With them the League of Shadows could get information on anything or anyone they want".

I shouldn't have spoken up, but I did.

"Isn't the League of Shadows normally something Batman deals with?" I wished to know.

Red Arrow snorted before speaking up.

"Yeah like you know anything about the Shadows" he said.

He was wrong about that.

"The League of Shadows is a criminal and terrorist organization led by Ra's al Ghul also known as the Demon's Head" I told everyone "The group focuses on extortion, manipulation, and power-broking. Oh and Ra's has a daughter called Talia, and she's know to have a thing for...".

Robin, who clearly knew what I'd been about to say, coughed loudly enough that I knew he was signalling me to shut up.

"Carry on" I invited Speedy.

Which he did.

" _Dr_. Serling _Roquette_ is creating a virus to kill the Fog as we speak" Red Arrow then added.

From that point on I knew that our mission would be to keep the doctor alive along enough to finish her work.

"And where is she?" Green Arrow asked,

An image of a high school came up on one of the holographic screen.

"She's safe" Red Arrow then said.

His former mentor was not so convinced.

"In a school?" he asked "A place with big windows in almost every room, and no real security system".

To be fair any assassin looking for her wouldn't think to look in a school. They'd think the League had her somewhere safer, like here.

"She's safe" the whiny brat stated "I did my job."

Red Arrow then left through the tunnel.

" _Recognized, Speedy.._ "

Red Arrow stopped the computer, and spoke up.

"That's Red Arrow" he told the machine "Update your information"

Batman appeared on a screen as soon as Speedy was gone, which led to conclude that he'd been listening in the entire time.

"I want his access restricted" the Dark Knight ordered "He can come here by himself..."

He stopped as Wally sped over to him.

"What, why?" Kid Flash protested "Roy's our friend!"

It was Green Arrow who replied.

"He's not apart of this team either" the archer said "or a member of the League, so we can't have using our equipment".

Wally didn't verbalise his unhappiness, but it was plain to see.

"Like I said" Batman went on to say "I have no problem with him visiting the mountain, but I don't want him in the Watchtower or in any secure place where there's a Zeta-beam".

I understood why, and given what had happen to be recently they should all be more concerned with security as knowing what I knew Azrael had easily been able to get to Gotham, which meant he could have gotten into the Watchtower, the Hall of Justice, or even the Batcave.

"Miss. Martian, Artemis, Power Girl and Superboy" the Dark Knight was now saying "I want you four to stay outside to guard the school while Aqualad and Kid Flash guard the Doctor inside. Robin will be helping me track the Fog, we both have experience with the League of Shadows".

No one failed to noticed that he'd missed a name out.

"What about me?" I asked.

I had the horrible feeling that I was going to be left out of this mission.

"You're staying behind..." Batman started to say.

There was no reason to listen any further so calmly walked over to the teleporter. I figured I might as well go and see some of the world, while everyone else went out and did did the important things.

(Link Break)

 _ **High School. Happy Harbour.**_

Miss Martian, Artemis, Power Girl and Superboy, were watching over the area on different parts of roof while wearing their stealth suits in order to make them as close to invisible as possible. Well the females were, Superboy was hardly being subtle, but that could actually work to the team's advantage as if any assassin did come after the doctor they'd notice Supes for sure and try to take him out. If that happen it might allow the others to get the drop on the assassin.

As for Power Girl, she was only being subtle simply because she wasn't moving at all. She was just leaning against an air vent and ignoring the world around her. She had at least bothered to wear something dark so that she didn't easily stand out.

" _Miss. Martian link us up mentally, but keep Dr. Roquette out of our heads unless we need to relocate"_ Aquadlad said over the comm " _We don't want to distract her from getting the virus finished_ ".

The green girl's eyes glowed for a moment as she set up the telepathic link between herself and her team mates. This would allow them all to talk to other without making any noise. Useful for a covert team.

 _"Everyone online?_ " Megan asked.

Artemis grabbed her head for a moment.

" _This will take some getting used too_ " she thought/said.

Being able to hear people's thoughts was a new experience for the archer, and so far she wasn't sure if she liked it.

" _That... Man!_ " Power Girl thought loudly.

Artemis just looked at Megan and that was enough to get an explanation.

" _She's mad at Gothic"_ the green girl thought at the archer.

Since she was new Artemis had no idea why anyone would be mad at the guy, yet she didn't need to ask as she quickly got all the juicy details over the mental link. When she heard the name of the woman who Gothic had slept with she almost gave away a few things she didn't wish to, but Artemis knew that there was a new Huntress who had no connection to her mother, at least not as far as she knew.

" _So he cheated on her"_ the girl with bow summarised.

It wasn't simple.

" _He was kind of possessed at the time"_ Megan tried to explain " _Or brainwashed sort of. Its complicated and Gothic pointed out to Power and they had only been on two dates so it wasn't cheating as they aren't a couple, and that just made it worse"._

Artemis didn't think it was that complex.

" _So were Gothic and Power sleeping together?"_ she asked using the telepathic method.

This time the reply wasn't metal. The daughter of both Superman and Wonder Woman simply shook her head.

" _Sounds you need to go stake your claim"_ Artemis said mentally to Power Girl _"You need to show him what he'll have if he commits to you. I don't think he'll go else where for it if he's getting it at home. Not with the body you have"._

Power Girl soon replied.

" _How do I do that?"_ she asked.

Artemis found the question amusing.

" _I don't think you'll have any problems"_ the new team member assured " _Not with those things on your chest. Just give him a look at the goods and he'll be hooked"._

Superboy did not want to hear such talk.

" _That is my sister's chest you're talking about"_ he reminded.

Thankfully for Power Girl the embarrassment didn't last long as something happened to distract people.

 _"I've got eyes on six people heading towards us from the south"_ Superboy reported _"I'm going to take them down"_

Aqualad looked at his teammates who were inside the building and nodded before speaking out loud.

"Miss Martian, go and help him. Power Girl stay where you are" the team leader ordered verbally than mentally "The rest of us will stay here and keep the doctor safe".

 _Roquette was not happy to hear this._

"What'd you send them away for?" she demanded to know "You're supposed to be keeping me safe!"

Aqualad had his reasons.

"I'm more than capable of doing that alone while they handle the small fry" he responded.

The team leader knew that the people heading towards this school were a distraction not the real assassins.

"Small fry? What are you talking about?" she asked

Before anyone could answer her the door opened and a shuriken was hurled at her back through it. Kid Flash suddently appeared behind the doctor deflected the shuriken using his super speed. It was followed by three more, which received the same treatment.

"That's what I'm talking about" Aqualad explained "Those guys out there were a distraction while this one snuck in".

The team then stopped addressing the doctor and spoke to whoever was behind the door.

"You might as well come into the open" Kaldur then said "It was a good plan, but your cover's blown".

As soon as he had finished talking, the door flew open and a green clad figure burst through, leaping towards him with her foot stretched out in a flying kick. However the attack was met by Aqualad who was more than able to defend himself.

The figure landed on one of the nearby work desks, sending the computer equipment crashing to the floor.

"I'm pretty sure we've never met before" Aqualad said while moving into a combat stance "Care to introduce yourself".

In his experience most villains, even professional assassins, had a large ego and could resist talking about themselves.

"Call me Cheshire" the green-clad assassin responded. "I've been looking forward to meeting you all".

Kid Flash made the next move and the assassin rolled backwards off the desk when the super fast teen knocked her off her feat.

"Fast and strong" said the assassin the cat mask "Just the way I like 'em"

That was when the fight really started.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

While the assassin known as Cheshire had escaped The team were able to capture the half a dozen ninjas that had acted as a distraction. More importantly Dr. Serling Roquette had only survived she had been able to finish her work on the computer virus which could be used to disable the nano-tech weapon known as the Fog. Now both the doctor and the virus had been handed over to the League, which meant the covert team had completed their mission.

"Right we need to talk" Artemis said to the other female team members before turning to the males "Why don't you boys go play video games or something while we chat".

Neither Kid Flash or Aqualad were foolish enough to want to get involved it whatever it was the women were planning.

"I guess we could find Gothic and play games for a while" the Atlantain said to Wally West "Is he here?"

Kid Flash searched the mountain, it took him a little longer than a second.

"He's not here" the super fast guy reported "Guess he's still out".

Wally then checked the teleporter.

"According to this he went to Las Vegas" Kid Flash informed his team leader "Do you think we should go find him?".

Aqualad didn't think that was wise.

"He might need some time to cool off" he said to Wally "I know I would had I been left out of the mission".

Personal feelings aside the team leader would have liked to have someone trained as an assassin to help guard someone from an assassin.

"Yeah I guess he'll be okay" Kid Flash reasoned "Its not like he went back to Gotham. How much trouble could he get in?".


	14. Chapter 14

**DG Gothic – Young Justice 1**

 **Part 14**

 **Casino. Las Vegas.**

While my life had been mostly sucky of late there were good things about being me. I had the skills of an assassin who'd been around for centuries, really good fake ID's and enough money to pretty much buy anything that Iliked. The ID and access to hidden accounts helped to make sure that I was enjoying my time in Vegas, and it had made me chuckle to think that the rest of the team were off babysitting some scientist while I was having so much fun.

I'd spent the last few hours just wandering around a few of the glitzy casino, enjoying the dancing girls, the slot machines, and all the other distractions this city offered its visitors.

I knew that the League and my team wouldn't approve of me coming to this city, however I had been considering a career change. The fact that Power Girl was giving me the cold shoulder along with my new found wealth meant that working for Batman, who did pay well, wasn't very tempting anymore. Perhaps it was time to look elsewhere.

While my mind wandered I found myself coming across curtained off area that had two large men standing guard before a velvet rope. Clearly it was VIP area open only to the wealthy, and normally that would exclude me, but now things were different.

I was a little startled when both of the guards tensed up at my approach, I was wearing expensive new clothing so I should have looked to them to be another high roller, yet their actions suggested that they say me as a threat. I could only conclude that having Azrael in the back of head had changed a few things about me, like how I walked. Perhaps I looked more deadly that I imagined myself being.

"Hey guys! How's it going?" I said with my most charming of smiles.

No one committed any acts of violence, which was good as I badly wanted to see what was behind the curtains.

"I'm sorry sir, but this area is for high rollers and special guests of the casino only" one of the guards stated "Please go about your business".

With little effort I could have gotten past these guys, they were hired muscle not professional assassins like I was.

"How much money does it take to be a high roller?" I questioned.

I had money to burn, and I could always get more by stealing if needs be. Assassins and thieves had mostly the same skill sets.

"You must deposit at least one hundred thousand dollars with the casino in order to play the games in here sir" the slightly smaller of the two guards informed me "either that or you need permission from the manager".

While a hundred thousand was a lot of money. I had a feeling that I needed to see what the VIP section was like. I had no idea if it was just come gut reaction or some subconscious prodding by Azrael.

"I'd like to make a hundred thousand deposit" I told the guard.

My thinking was that they would have a special cashier for such high rollers. You couldn't move that kind of money around with an ATM card.

"Certainly sir, please follow me" the second guard stated with a totally different tone while unclipping the velvet rope "Right this way".

I followed the smaller guard through the curtained doorway and into a gold and marble filled area. The room looked like an attempt to recreate a Roman palace. They even had fountains and a lot of greenery in the middle, to make it look like a courtyard I figured.

Also I noted the private body guards of some of the players, and the hint of cigar smoke in the air. I could hear the sounds of muffled conversations and the dealers announcing winners or losers.

Then I walked past a roulette table where several older men in expensive suits were playing and enjoying the company of some very much younger ladies. Well paid escorts I didn't doubt.

A short and rather attractive young woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, stood behind the cashier desk, which unlike the others in the casino was not protected by bars or bullet proof class.

"How may I help you sir?" she questioned,

I couldn't help smile at her, she was pretty in a way that wouldn't get her onto the big screen, but she was a cutie. I even considered asking her out, however I curbed that impulse. I hadn't committed to anything, however there was no chance of me having a relationship with a normal person, not while I was still working for Batman.

"Hi" I greeted "I'd like to deposit some money and get some chips."

Transferring large sums of money didn't involve as much effort as most people might think, but it was more complex that just swiping a card and typing in a pin number.

"Here you go sir, one hundred thousand dollars in chips" the cashier told me as I was given my chips "Have a nice day".

There was a lot of plastic in front of me so I was about to ask for something to carry it in, only there was no need.

"I'll take care of that for you, sir" the guard said.

The tough guy in the suit loaded all my chips into a special case that he then locked with a key the cashier gave him.

"Enjoy" he then said when he passed me the case.

I looked around for a table that had a spare seat and I found one with just an attractive looking woman sitting at a table all alone. She was much more exotic looking than the gold diggers around here, and she had a touch of sophistication about her. Plus she was hot.

"Is this seat taken?" I asked her once I was at the table.

She gestured to the seat and I took that as an invitation.

"So what's the game?" was my next question.

"We are playing Blackjack" she replied "Mr...?"

I gave the name on my Fake ID. I kept my real first name when using fakes cards as James was a normal sounding enough that didn't attract attention, and it went well with many different surnames.

"Talia" she introduced "Talia al Ghul."

I was pretty sure that I failed to keep my face neutral when I heard that name, but Miss Ghul didn't seem to be paying me much attention so it was possible she didn't notice my reaction. Still I considered leaving however decided that doing that would be suspicious, so instead of running away I got some chips out and got ready to play.

Meanwhile some parts of my brain that were still one hundred percent me were debating what to here. Some part of me was urging me to run while another was saying to stick around to see what happened. Yet another part was trying to figure out if I could get Miss Ghul to go to bed with me. Thankfully that inner voice wasn't one I was going to listen to as there was no way she would and even she did it would led to badness.

"James, it's your turn" Miss al Ghul the said.

My inner monologue had taken longer than I had imagined, and there was only the two of us playing so I was holding up the game.

"Hit me" I told the dealer.

I didn't notice the card I had been given or the one I already had.

"Oh Bruce" I then heard Talia al Ghul say "Over here".

There could only be one Bruce she could be calling out to, and if was here I had to go.

"Going so soon?" Talia asked me as Bruce Wayne sat down.

That seemed liked the thing to do.

"I'm sorry but I really must be going" I told Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul "Besides, I'm nobody for you to bother yourself over".

That was when the final empty seat at the table became occupid by one of the people I wanted to avoid even more than a member of the al Ghul family. Lex flipping Luthor was now sitting down right next to me. I'd seen him on the news enough to recognize him

Now I knew the universe was having a joke at my expense, and I just had to get out of this casino.

As I walked away, somewhat gracefully but still with urgency

"Damn it" I muttered

I was steps away from the cashier when someone called for me.

"James!" a male voice shouted.

That was when I realised that I'd foolishly left my case of chips behind, and that Bruce Wayne was coming over to me with it.

"You forgot this" he then said.

I had a feeling that he was going to take me aside and berate me for getting in the way of some undercover operation he was on.

"This is a robbery!" someone suddenly yelled

I forgot about the case and ran to check out the source of the noise. I got there just in time to see someone indiscriminately firing into the crowd. Fortunately their aim was off and the fancy energy weapon the guy was holding only ended up blasting holes in the walls and everyone had already ducked for cover, so that was something.

The security guards, who had dived behind slot machines for cover, pulled out their weapons in an effort to get a clear shot at the members of the criminal group that was attacking. However their bullets had little effect on the bad guys who all wore armour.

"Intergang" I realised.

This was no ordinary criminal group. Intergang had access to advanced, possibly alien tech, and they weren't above slaughtering people to get what they wanted. I'd read about them while researching the crooks of this world, and I didn't doubt that they were why Batman was here.

What connection they had to Luthor and Miss Ghul I hadn't a clue, and I decided not to stick around long enough to find out. There were other places I could go. Places were people wouldn't shoot at me. I was going back to Happy Harbour, but first I had to deal with these thugs.

That had been the plan, only when I made my move one of the armoured thugs spotted me and opened fire. I avoided getting by diving under a table, only that cover didn't last long so soon I had to get moving again.

I leapt over the now mostly destroyed table and grabbed one of the Intergang thugs, using moves I'd never seen done before I was able to use the crook has a shield while also controlling his weapons.

As for what happened next I didn't even think about it. I simply opened fire, aiming the weapon so that the energy blasts impacted the ground next to the crooks. Which send them flying, and when they fired back the armour of my human shield protected me as these guys had on some serious protection.

Perhaps I would have done more, but that was when Batman turned up and I figured that I'd somehow wandered into one of his undercover operations, and that it would best to get out of his way as quickly as possible.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Artemis asked when I stormed into the living are.

I didn't even bother to look at her.

"Shut up, newbie" I said.

Everyone who was sitting on the couches got up just enough so that could stare at me. Their combined looks told me that it would be best to say sorry for being so rude.

"Sorry, Artemis" I said while getting myself a drink from the fridge "I just got an earful from Batman. I wandered into one of his operations while visiting Vegas and he's just spent the last quarter of an hour chewing me out. I didn't mean to take my bad mood out of you".

Actually I had, but it didn't look as that was allowed.

"And now I'm grounded" I went on to say "I'm not aloud to leave this mountain until our overlord decides that its safe. I think he's worried about Intergang coming after me".

Also I might now be on Talia al Ghul's radar, or worse Lex Luthors. However since I barely existed in this dimension, due to not being born here, never having gone to school in this reality, and never having gone for a medical check up either, so it was possible they simply wouldn't to find out anything important about me.

Of course I assumed they would, and if there was any sign of either of them having taken notice of me I would report it to Batman and let him take of it. I was sure he could.

"That sucks" Wally West commented.

I felt the need to go hit something.

"If anyone needs to be I'll be in the gym hitting things" I informed the group "we may need a new punching bag".

Wisely no one said anything as I left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

**DG Gothic – Young Justice 1**

 **Part 15**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

One of the things we had to do again due to have a new member was even more team building exercises, and we had another night just to hang around, or at least most of us had to. Sadly it wasn't going very well. Wally and Artemis simply didn't get along, and Power wasn't talking to me. I was sure she was talking about me via Megan's telepathic powers, but I couldn't be sure as while the girls were trading glances, that didn't mean they were talking into each other's head. Of course it could also mean that was exactly what they were doing.

"Okay so what's the plan tonight?" Kid Flash asked "Board games. Video games. Movies?"

I was about to suggest a film, but someone else spoke before I could.

"We could play 7 Minutes in Heaven!" Megan offered.

Everyone agreed with some reluctance aside Artemis who flat out refused until Kid Flash called her something mildly insulting which of course led her demanding that we play the silly game so that no one else could call her a coward.

So Supes, Wally and I ended up sitting with Power, Megan and Artemis. We were the only ones here and it did give us an even male to female ratio, which made things easier.

"Right so we need rules" the green girl said as she placed a bottle on the floor "Only girls with boys. Superboy and Power Girl are brother and sister so they can re-spin if the bottle chooses them"

That seemed fair. But I was still confused about one thing.

"So is this like spin the bottle?" I asked "We just kiss the person the bottle points to when we spin".

That sounded silly, but most harmless.

"No seven minutes in heaven means is when the boy and the girl go into a closet and make out. You can touch too, but not too much as you don't know when to door will open".

That was a bit more troubling. It didn't seem like harmless fun.

"I'll go first!" Wally yelled as he spun the bottle.

Of course it landed on Artemis

"AW MAN!" Artemis cried out.

I glanced over at Megan. I was wondering if she was using her power to control the bottle because I was pretty sure that she wanted to make out with Superman junior, and she seemed to support the idea of me getting together with Power. So it made sense she'd want Artemis and Kid Flash to hook up if only to ensure neither of them would end up making out with anyone else.

"OH YES!" Wally yelled

The room suddenly became quiet and awkward.

"Did I say that out loud?" Wally asked whole blushing.

It had been rather high in volume.

"Yes, yes you did, very loudly if I might add" Artemis said with a smirk.

Those two would make a cute couple. Although I was a little attracted the archer girl myself.

"Any ways, you guys better go in that closet cut your 7 minutes start...NOW!" Megan said as she pushed the two teens into the small empty closet.

We all waited and listened, we didn't have to wait long as there was heated talking going on in the closet, and I could have sworn I heard Artemis giggle. Which was surprising as at this point in their relationship those two were more likely to kill each other than kiss.

When the time was up Megan opened the door, and we all got to see that they had in fact been kissing, perhaps even a bit more judging by their blushing and Wally's stupid grin Either they'd really gotten into the spirit of the game, or they had some sexual chemistry going, and I suspected it was the latter.

"Gothic's turn!" Megan then declared.

I knew it would land on Power Girl long before the bottle finished spinning. Green girl would have made it so, I was even more sure of it given how she pretty threw me into the closet with Power.

When we got inside the small space we sat down, and neither of us spoke. I had no idea what to say and neither did she it seemed.

"We do have 7 minutes so why don't we make the best of it?" Power said.

With that she pulled her top up and she wasn't wearing a bra, so I had a nice view of her huge breasts. I just had to look and she let me take my time in starting. They were firm, with nipples that were neither too big or too small, and right now they were all pointy.

"Oh what the hell" then I muttered before taking action.

I pushed her closer and kissed her softly. Then I pulled away slowly to look at her face and to gauge her reaction. She had a goofy smile in her face, and her cheeks were a bright shade of red. Then before I knew it her lips were pressing into mine. The kiss started somewhat innocently, then grew more, and more passionate by the second.

My hand was just about to grab some boob when the door opened and Power Girl covered herself up before running off towards her bedroom. I had no idea if it was due to embarrassment or because of something I'd done.

"I'll go talk to her" Megan offered as she walked out of the room "Don't go anywhere its Superboy's turn next".

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"These are for you" Megan said when I entered the kitchen.

I was presented with a stack of pancakes that made me glad I was immortal because the sheer amount of sugar in this breakfast would have made me diabetic otherwise.

"Why do I get pancakes?" I asked the green girl "Are you buttering me up because you want a favour".

The girl from Mars smiled at me a way that confirmed my suspicion.

"Well yeah" she admitted "But this is also a thank you".

Since Megan could sense my feelings she knew I was confused without even needing look at me.

"Power was a little embarrassed last night" I was told "but you didn't do anything wrong. She ran away because she was happy".

Women, even those grown in labs, were very strange.

"Very happy" M'gann then added "If you get what I mean".

It took a few moments, but I did get it.

"You mean she was..." I struggled to say.

I figured aroused was the right word. Thankfully I didn't need to say it.

"She was just a little overwhelmed" the green girl was now saying "She's okay now".

Well that was good to know and began to munch on my breakfast. Then I remembered the favour thing.

"What do you want me to do" I asked Megan.

The alien female smiled at me, and I knew her well enough do know this was her 'I have a plan smile' I'd seen last night.

"Power wants to go on more dates" I was informed "She just doesn't know how to tell you that, and I think you should kiss some more before you do anything else. Maybe you could offer to go steady".

I know realised that pancakes equalled bribery when Megan made them. I remember in the future.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"Alright" said the green girl "Let's see if we can find you something good to wear"

Currently M'Gann was helping me pick out some clothes for my date with Power Girl. So far, they had gone through at least half my wardrobe trying to find something that met her high standards

"M'Gann, can please we just pick one" I requested.

At this rate I was going to be late.

"Don't you want to look good for Power?" she asked him while examining some of my trousers "This means a lot to her".

I was sure it did.

"Yes I do" I told the alien "but I don't want to be late".

Women could be late to a date, however if a man did that just made him a jerk. Which was unfair, as most things in life were.

"Fine" she said "Try this on and see how it looks"

She threw me a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt. I took the clothes and went into the bathroom to change. When I got back I found Megan looking at something I'd left on my desk.

"Hey, Gothic?" she asked "Why do you have a a necklace?"

She didn't give me a chance to answer.

"It's very pretty" she then said "Is it a gift for Power?"

Indeed it was.

"Its called a triquetra or a trinity knot" I explained "The Celtic people, my ancestors, believed it represented the three promises of a relationship, to love, honour, and protect. I figure its a good thing to give a girl you want to go steady with, or whatever it is Americans call it".

Being such a girly girl meant that Megan found that super sweet.

"Speaking of going steady, are you going to tell the rest of the Team about you and Power being a proper couple?".

I assumed that the females members of the team already knew.

"Maybe" I replied as I fixed my hair.

I was no hairstylist like Robin, but I was able to make myself look somewhat presentable.

"You're going to have to tell them eventually" Me'gann said.

I didn't see why as it would self evident, and even if it wasn't then I was sure Meg would blurt it out soon enough.

"Its not their business" I told the green girl "I don't want to hear about their love lives, and I'm sure they don't want to hear about mine".

I grabbed my wallet and my sunglasses off the dresser just before heading for the door, while also hoping to drop the conversation.

"You look nice by the way" Megan called out as I left the room.

This was all at a lot of work, and if it weren't for the fact that Power Girl had really, really nice tits I'd be reconsidering the whole thing by now because I simply didn't want my love life to such a hassle.

"Thanks!" I called out.

As soon as I left my room I ran to the newest team member.

"I hope you have a good time out with Power" Artemis said "She's really excited about it".

That made one of us. Mostly I was being annoyed by the date and it hadn't even started yet.

"She's like my best friend so if you do anything to hurt her, I will kill you" the archer promised.

This didn't bother me because as far anyone knew I couldn't die.

"I'm serious," she said coldly before walking away.

On the way to the exit, where the car I'd brought was waiting I ran into Robin.

"Oh hey, Gothic" he greeted "I bet your glad that your grounding is finally over".

After that incident at the casino, Batman had ordered me to stay inside the mountain for a while. He'd not grounded me, it was just that I kept appearing on people's radars, either as myself or Azrael, and that was bad as I was meant to be a member of a covert team. Now after a couple of weeks the Dark Knight had told me that my presence at the casino hadn't led to anything so I was free to go about my business.

"Yes" was all I said on the matter.

Sadly that wasn't the end of the discussion.

"So why are you so nicely dressed?" the Boy Wonder inquired

He followed me to the exit so I couldn't avoid answering.

"If you must know I'm going on a date" I informed him.

He wasn't surprised.

"Oh cool. With who?" was his next question.

I looked down at him over the rim of my sunglasses.

"So the Huntress?" he asked.

He was trying to wind me up so I ignored him and got into my car.

(Line Break)

 **Cinema. Happy Harbour.**

I walked into the movie theatre lobby and I saw her sitting down on a bench. When she saw me she smiled up at me and then got up so she could give me a quick kiss.

"Hi" Power Girl said "You look nice".

As did she. Her top, which was under a denim jacket, showed off just enough cleavage to remind what she had to offer without looking slutty, and I was sure the jeans she was wearing would hug her butt nicely.

"As do you" replied.

I also noticed that she was the same height as me, and when I glanced down I saw that she was wearing shoes that were casual, and they also gave her a bit more height.

"So, did you want to see a movie?" I asked "We can so somewhere else if you like. Might throw which ever member of the team is spying on us".

I assumed it would be Robin, although it could be Megan with her shape shifting powers she could look like anyone.

"Only if you do" Power said "Let's see if there's anything that looks good before we decide".

There wasn't.

"You don't strike me as the guy who digs chick flicks" Power said.

It was all chick flicks really.

"Not really, no" I replied.

Meg Ryan seemed to be in a lot of movies in this reality.

"Me neither" Power then said "You want to just spend the night in the arcade?"

Now that seemed like a good idea

"Actually, yeah, that sounds like fun" I told her.

It beat chick flicks hands down.

"Cool" she "I hope you've got lots of quarters".

I didn't but I could get some change.

(Line Break)

 **Arcade. Happy Harbour.**

Happy Harbour had once been a major fishing and whaling town, hence the name, but times had changed and now it was more a tourist destination than anything else. That combined with the mostly pleasant weather they had here meant that there were many amusements available here. One of those entertainments was the arcade.

"Okay, so the point of this game is to cross the finish line first, right?" Power Girl asked me.

After getting lots of quarters we had started checking out the games and had found a two player racing game.

"Yes" I replied as I sat down and gripped the steering wheel "when the screen says go slam down on the pedal".

The screen did a countdown. Three... two... one... bam!

I slammed my foot down on the gas petal and my shot off. I took and early led, and since I had a second I looked over at Power whose car was currently off the track.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

I'd seen her on a motorbike so driving a virtual car shouldn't have been a problem for her, yet somehow it was.

"This is a short-cut!" she declared "I'll get to the finish line before you!"

I didn't think that would happen.

"Oh no you're not" I replied.

I was now in first place.

"Why?" she asked

Before I could reply Power shrieked and when I looked over her car had somehow made into the stands containing the crowd and the result was total madness.

"You really suck at this game" I commented.

I started to focus on my car as it was nearing the finishing line, and there were tricky curves ahead.

"Oh, like you can do any better" Power stated.

I made her eat her words when I came in first place.

"You're suppose to a gentlemen and let me win" my date complained.

That would have been hard to do as Power Girl had somehow made her car explode.

"Why don't we play something else" I suggested.

Hopefully there was something around here that couldn't possible result in her losing to me so badly.


	16. Chapter 16

**DG Gothic – Young Justice 1**

 **Part 16**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

Aqualad, and Superboy circled each other slowly as the girls and I watched them train. Wally was here too, but he was standing alone while eating.

"So Kaldur's nice" I heard Artemis say to Megan "You should totally ask him out".

I couldn't see that happening, green girl only had eyes for Superboy, and unlike his sister he seemed in no hurry to find a romantic partner. However Artemis clearly thought that Meg was wasting her time.

"Oh no Kaldhur's like a brother to me" Meg replied "and I think the cutest couple would be you, and Wally."

We all looked to our right which was where Wally was standing while eating a burrito.

"Really?" the archer asked.

Personally I couldn't see why any woman would want Kid Flash, he was loud, often very annoying and a little immature. Although to be fair he wasn't fully mature yet so he might improve.

"Yes" Megan was now saying "You're full of passion and he's full of...

I supplied the end of the end of that sentence before the archer could.

"Energy" I said.

The conversation came to end when Superboy flipped Aqualad over his shoulder and onto the ground.

"Fail, Aqualad" the computer stated.

Supes looked very pleased with himself.

"Whose next?" the science project asked.

Wally looked to nervous to reply, but for once I felt the need to go and show off. Which may have had something to do with the fact that Power Girl was watching.

"I'll give it a go" I said to Superboy.

Before anyone could remark on this I was ready to fight and I was using a hand signal that let Supes know he should attack. Which of course he did and as when he was close enough I grabbed his wrists then I fell backwards while bringing up my knees. This resulted in Superboy going over me and slamming into the ground hard enough that the computer registered it as a defeat.

I got up and held at my hand in order to help my teammate get up, which he took. Then he grabbed me and lifted me up into the air I was now facing the celling, and I was unable to do anything to save myself.

"You better treat my sister right" Supes warned.

I got the message and I promised to behave, once I'd done that Superboy dropped me to the ground hard enough that the computer declared me the failure.

That was when Red Tornado came down from his room and Wally quickly sped over to him.

"Any missions for us?" Inquired Kid Flash.

Red Tornado shook his head.

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility" the robot reminded us.

Wally rolled his eyes before speaking up.

"Yeah well the Batman's with Robin over in Gotham" Kid Flash stated But you're headed somewhere, either its a hot date, or a mission?"

I really hoped that this would led to a mission. I'd been stuck in this mountain for far too long.

"If we can be of help" Aqualad then said.

Red Tornado brought up a screen, which displayed a picture of an elderly man, and I had no idea who he was.

"This is Kent Nelson" the android explained to us "He is a friend of the League".

If I recalled correctly Kent Nelson was Doctor Fate.

"He is one hundred and six years old" the robot then added.

Wally turned to Artemis

"Doesn't look over ninety" he whispered.

Red tornado continued having not hearing Wally.

"He also goes by the name Doctor Fate" we were then told.

The picture then changed to show a man in a uniform that consisted of a golden helmet which covered his head, a long, high collared cape, fastened with two large buttons. Beneath the mask was blue top with a golden oval set in the chest. He also had on a large golden belt with a circle in the centre, and deep blue pants with golden boots.

"He was once a member of the Justice Society of America" the robot man then told us "The precursor to our Justice League".

Kaldur spoke up after Red Tornado finished.

"He was Earth's sorcerer supreme" Aqualad said.

Wally snorted before whispering at the archer again.

"Please" he said "The guy does a little science and calls it magic to scare the bad guys, and impress the babes".

Red Tornado then held up a golden key.

"Kent Nelson has not been heard from in some time" the robot informed us "I was planning to venture to the tower to ensure that he is well. Perhaps you would like to go in my place?".

M'gann then stepped forward.

"He is like the great priest and priestess of Mars" she said "I would be honoured to help."

Wally quickly raised his hand.

"Me too!" he called out.

Everyone turned to him as he continued.

"So honoured" he went on to say Magic rocks".

Wally then dashed to M'gann's side.

"What are the chances that we both love magic?" he asked her.

Aqualad stepped over to Kid Flash and put a hand on Wally's shoulder.

"Just get on the bio-ship" he ordered.

(Line Break)

 **The Tower of Fate.**

The team and I looked around the empty field for Kent's tower. There was something here I could sense it, but I couldn't see it.

"Nothing" Wally commented when he came to a stop in front of us "Maybe it's camouflaged?"

Given that he'd raced all around the field the tower couldn't physically be here, perhaps it was somehow in another dimension and only the entrance was in this field.

"What do you think?" Artemis asked Wally "Adaptive microelectronics combined with phase-shifting?"

Wally nodded before answering.

"Absolutely.." he agreed.

He trailed seeing M'gann walk to him.

"I mean no" he lied "Obviously we're dealing with magic".

Or possibly even both.

" _Any_ _ _sufficiently advanced technology__ _is indistinguishable from magic"_ I quoted.

No one seemed to get that.

"Robin would have gotten it" I moaned.

Kaldur then directed us to look to the gold key, which had the word 'INSERT' on it.

"It's a test of faith" Aqualad then told us.

He walked in front of us and then pushed the key forward before turning it. Suddenly a tall stone tower appeared before us. We all stood around for a while just staring at it, and then we headed inside.

"Where'd the door go?" Power Girl asked.

Before we could do more than check to see that the door had indeed vanished, a hologram of Kent appeared in front of us.

"You have entered with a key" the illusion said "But the tower doesn't recognize you. Please state your intent".

Aqualad walked up to the hologram, and cleared his throat.

"We are to find Doctor Fate" he stated.

The hologram frowned before disappearing, and after a moment, the floor beneath us crumbled, revealing a pit with lava at the bottom. I grabbed Power Girl and fired my grappling gun which resulted in us not burning to death horribly.

"Having trouble flying!" I heard green girl called "I'm so hot!"

I knew I had to act so I told Power Girl to grab on to the rock and climb out so that I could go and help. Me'gann. I dropped and grabbed her, but the combined weight was too much for the gadget I couldn't get it to hoist up out of the hole.

"Hello Megan!" the alien girl then shouted before looking upwards and shouting some more "Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson, and the helmet are okay!"

A metal lid closed over the lava and now that is was safe everyone dropped down. I quickly concluded that the tower must have thought that were intruders who wanted to harm Doctor Fate not allies who had come to help. Megan had been very smart to realise that.

"This floor should be scorching hot" Kaldur pointed out while kneeling down, and feeling the floor " but it's cool to the touch. Was the lava just a magical illusion?".

Given the heat that had been coming of it I didn't think it had just been a deception, or it was it was a bloody good one.

"It felt real to me" green girl said "I thought I was going to die".

After checking for myself I Wally wrap an arm around M'gann, and smiled at her.

"Don't worry Megelicious, I'll protect you from..." he started to say.

At this point Artemis got really mad.

"Enough! Your little 'impress M'gann at all cost' act is driving me crazy" the archer said "Stop lying"

To be fair it was annoying.

"What did I do?" Wally asked

He genuinely seemed to be confused, and Megan just looked upset.

"Wally" she said "You don't believe in magic?"

Kid Flash sighed.

"Fine, fine! I don't believe alright?" he admitted "But magic is the real lie, a major load of crap!"

Given that I had two magic sword which he'd seen in action it seemed odd to me that he denied the existence of arcane powers.

"Wally, I trained for a year in Atlantis to learn sorcery" Aqulad told Kid Flash "That's how my powers work".

Wally snorted as our leader explained further how he controlled the element of water.

"Dude ever hear of 'bio-electricity'?" Kid Flash asked

Aqualad didn't reply.

"You're close minded for someone who can break the sound barrier by just running really fast" Artemis then said to Wally.

Kid Flash had an answer for everything.

"That's science" he replied "I recreated Flash's experiment, and boom here I am! Everything can be explained by science".

I snorted and everyone looked at me.

"Do you believe in magic?" Megan asked me.

No I didn't believe I knew, for me magic was just as real as any science.

"I have a sword I can set on fire with my mind" I said "That's magic".

Wally didn't agree.

"That's either pyrokinesis or there's some technology inside the sword that makes it work" Kid Flash said.

I took out the sword and passed it to him.

"If its Pyrokinesis then it shouldn't work for you" I said to Wally "and as you can see there's no switch. Its magic and it works when ever the person holding it tells it to. Just focus and command it to active".

At first Kid Flash just gave me an amused look, but then he did as I had instructed as the blade caught fire. Wally then dropped it due to surprise and the flames vanished. Megan also jumped back, but she need not have feared the sword couldn't harm good people.

"That doesn't mean it magic" he said as I picked up the weapon "It could just be a machine controlled by the mind. The bio-ship works that way, and its ways more complex than a sword".

He had a fair point there so the discussion was dropped. A second later the barrier protecting us from the lava also dropped only rather than die in nasty way I found myself lying on something very cold.

"It's snow." M'gann said as we all stood up.

No one other than her was happy about it.

"Oh great now we're in Narina" I complained.

Again no seemed to understand that reference, and again I was that Robin would had. At times like this I really missed him.

"We need to start a book club" I declared "and the first thing we are reading is _The Loin, the Witch and The Wardrobe_ ".

Something was then spotted in the distance and I was sure that it was going to be an old style lamppost, only it turned out to be cane. For reasons that made no sense to me the archer and super fast teen both decided to grab the cane at the same time. The piece of wood then lifted them off into the air.

"I can't let go!" Wally called out just before he and archer girl vanished

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

We all watched as Wally put the helmet of Doctor Fate on his souvenir stand. I figured it belonged in a safe or in Fort Knox, but it wasn't mine to protect so I said nothing on the subject.

"You never said what happened after you put on the helmet" Artemis reminded Kid Flash.

Wally glanced to the helmet before looking to her.

"I don't really know how to explain it" he said It was like I was in Limbo".

A question popped out of my mouth.

"Was is a white void?" I asked "Peaceful and silent?".

Wally nodded.

"Yeah been there" I told him.

Kid Flash nodded and then got on with his story.

"I was talking to Kent, and I felt it every time my body was hit" he told us.

When Azrael had been in charge of my body I'd not even noticed, but our two experiences did have some similarities. We both seen Limbo and spoken to someone when trapped inside our own heads.

"Going somewhere?" I then heard Power Girl ask Megan.

She soon got an answer.

"Yeah I was going to ask Superboy out to that magic show that it town" she told Power "I tried dropping hints but he just ended up watching static on the TV".

The girl who was sort of my girlfriend gave me a hopeful look.

"If they have any tickets left we can go" I told her.

Megan produced two extra tickets from nowhere and handed them to me, and I knew I'd been set up yet again.

"I've got two more of you and Wally want to go" green girl then said to Artemis.

Kid Flash and archer girl exchanged looks, then to my surprise Artemis decided that it would be triple date. Oddly Wally didn't seem that shocked.


	17. Chapter 17

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 17**

 **Restaurant. Happy Harbour.**

Power Girl, or Colette Kent as she was now calling herself, was eating quiet a lot on our latest date. So far she'd devoured a serving of sweet and sour Chicken, a beef dish served with broccoli and mushrooms, along with both fried and steamed Rice. For desert she'd thankfully only wanted fortune cookies, anything else and my stomach would have started aching just from watching her eat.

Once she was done eating I asked for the check and the waitress gave us two fortune cookies. Which was something my date had been looking forward to as she'd never had one before.

"You first" Colette said to me.

I decided to have a little fun with her.

 _"Please help me I was captured and now I'm being forced to work at fortune cookie factory in China"_ I said as seriously as I could.

Having never heard that silly joke before Power Girl looked worried, and I couldn't help laughing.

"You're mean" she commented once she understood the truth "Tell me what it really says".

Which is what I did next.

" _You will be a great success in the business world_ " I read

Next I ate the cookie.

"Your turn" I then said

She opened the cookie.

" _The one you love is closer than you think_ " she read.

She smiled at me, and I wondered if she was now joking.

"Does it really say that?" I asked.

She gave me the small piece of paper, and I discovered that it did inside say that.

"Well I hope it means me" I then said "because if someone else comes and along and snags you I'll feel bad about having paid the bill".

She found that hilarious.

"Okay where too next?" I then inquired "Movie, nightclub, or home".

She chose a club.

(Line Break)

 **Club. Happy Harbour.**

By the looks of things our plan for the evening had been derailed.

"Come on let us in" Colette begged the bouncer.

While I had ID that got me into places like this, when I needed it, Power did not and while she was dressed up she didn't look quite look twenty-one, which to be fair she shouldn't she wasn't even six months old.

"Sorry girly girl no kids allowed" The very big and very mean looking bounder said to her "Go home to your parents, its a school night".

This was the second club we'd tried to get in, and there weren't that many in Happy Harbour.

"Please" Colette said to me "You did it before".

It took me a moment to realise what she had meant by that, but soon I figured it out. Once I had I took out a fifty and offered it to the bouncer.

"Fine" the big guy said "but don't come crying to me if they don't serve you at the bar".

Not that it mattered as Power didn't drink anything stronger than soda. Which was smart of her as she was half alien, she would either be immune to the stuff or end up getting totally sloshed off one beer. Which would of course led to major embarrassment, it always did.

"That was so cool" my girlfriend praised as we entered the club "You got us in!".

I may have replied, but now I could barely hear myself think due to the music blaring out at a very unreasonable volume. I wondered how my date managed to stand it since she was the one with super hearing.

"Come on!" Colette urged.

She pulled on my hand and we headed deeper into the club passing by many people who were doing something that could be called only be called dancing rather than mating because everyone still had their clothes on.

"Dance with me" Colette requested.

I let myself be taken to the floor, hand in hand with the dark haired girl. Colette was soon grinding up against me and wrapping her arms around my neck so that she could pull me in for a quick kiss.

She kissed me again and this time I reacted, I made my arms curl around her waist. Our lips met some more, and our tongues touched each other. Pretty soon her hands were messing up my black hair and I took that as a sign that she really enjoyed kissing.

Once she stopped I looked around for a second, but all I could see was the mass of people still moving frantically around us to the beat of the loud techno music.

She then pulled away from me just a little and started to dance to the music I couldn't dance, not to this noise at least, so I just watched her move.

Then I saw something far less sexy, the bouncer from before and two other very angry muscular men, and when they spotted me they starting walking towards us. Not very quickly due all the people, but before long they'd be close enough to grab us.

"We have company" I said to Power.

Even with her hearing she couldn't make out my words.

"What?" she asks confused.

I on the other hand could read lips.

"Over there" I told her while motioning with my head.

She turned around and then faced me again before shrugging.

"I can take them" she stated.

So could I, but if some normal looking guy and girl beat up the bouncers then people would hear about it, and since we were a covert team we didn't want people talking about us . With that in mind I took her hand and pulled her close so that I wouldn't lose her in the crowd, then I headed for the nearest exit.

Once we were outside Power ripped a bar off the fire escape and she bent it such a way that the back door became impossible to open. The bouncers were trying I could hear them hitting the door.

"That will hold them" Colette said.

I didn't speak again until we were on the high street.

"Sometimes I feel very inadequate around you" I admitted.

She could bend steel bars with her bare hands, and she made it look easy.

"That's sweet" she replied "and not true. You're a total ninja. I didn't see them coming and you moved through that crowd so easily".

Even before my training with the Order, and my merging with Azrael I'd known how to navigate night clubs. It was just a matter of experience and being able to tell where other people were going.

"I wonder why they came us?" my girlfriend asked.

It didn't take me long to figure out a possible reason.

"Well if we rule out anything involving super crooks" I said "My thinking that a bouncer saw us dancing and thought you were too young to be a club, so he went and talked to the guy at the door. He must have lied about the bride and told his mates we snuck in somehow".

Colette was not happy.

"I really wanted to go clubbing" she moaned "Now we can't go back".

That was not actually a problem.

"I'll see if the teleporters can take us to London" I then said to Power "The drinking age there is only eighteen you should be able to get in without any trouble".

The promise of a night out was enough to make my girlfriend initiate another make out session.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

Not long after leaving the nightclub Colette I were in the living room sitting on the couch, or at least I was, she was on my lap straddling me. Also she seemed to have decided that now was a good time to explore my body.

As for my body it was much more muscular than it had once been, and Power was finding this out. She had put her hands up my t-shirt in order run her palms over my chest, and she seemed to enjoy my chest hair.

Next she started to lick, suck and kiss my neck. I then put a hand under her shirt, however I only touched her stomach. She seemed eager for more, but I hesitated as the last time I'd coped a feel of her breasts she'd gotten a little overwhelmed.

"Did I do something wrong" she asked me while making a frowny face "Don't you want to fool around?".

I did so I put a hand on one of her breasts and starts to massage it. She then pulled up her shirt up and I was soon sucking on one of her nipples. Soon I was rubbing the other in my hand, then I was rolling a nipple between two fingers

She moaned, and followed that up with gasp when I gave her a small bite around the nipple, while at the same time squeezing her other breast harder.

"HELLO!" someone then yelled out.

Thankfully it wasn't Superboy, that would have been really awkward. It was only green girl, and Black Canary, and while they looked very surprised Canary didn't become angry, which was good. Colette pulled down her top and blushed, but I wasn't that embarrassed.

"What do you think you are doing?" Megan asked us.

I would have thought that was obvious.

"Making out" Colette casually replied.

I gave a better answer

"Getting carried away" I said "Sorry about that".

Colette then pulled away from me, however she only turned her body away from me so she was still on my lap, and that was good for me.

"You guys are getting pretty hot and heavy huh?" Black Canary said.

I had no idea why the super heroine was here because we never trained at night. I could only conclude that she'd come here to speak to Meg about something.

"Yeah" was all I had to say on that.

As far as I was concerned it was no one else's business what Power and I got up to.

"Well cut it out" Canary said "Do you have any idea what Wonder Woman would do if she found out?"

Given that she was an Amazon and I was male it would be nothing good.

"We were just making out" Colette protested "What's the big deal?"

Unlike her mother Power Girl was not really an Amazon, or even hlaf of one, as being an Amazon wasn't a matter of biology, there was an entire culture.

"How can I put this in a way you'll understand?" Canary replied "Diana will most likely castrate, Gothic if you two ever have sex".

I could believe that.

"Amazons are very anti-men" Canary the added.

"So I can't have a boyfriend because Wonder Woman might not approve" Colette said "Well I don't care about her approval she's never shown any concern for me before".

I had not know that.

"You have to understand that Amazons are..." Canary tried to say.

She never got the chance to finish.

"Whatever!" Colette said before walking out of the room.

I was now starting to worry about castration.

"This is gonna get bad isn't it?" I asked Canary.

She just nodded.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

Not long after I entered my room someone knocked on the door, and when I opened it I saw Power Girl, who was only wearing a tight t-shirt that showed off her midrift, and panties, she stood there standing there while attempting to look seductive. She wasn't very good at it, but I could tell she was trying.

"Wanna have sex?" she asked me.

Sadly Black Canary had killed the mood for me.

"No" I said before moving away from her.

Colette came into my room uninvited, and she locked the door behind her.

"Why not?" she demanded to know "I want to".

I had a few valid reasons.

"Not in the mood" I told her "Also I don't have any condoms, and I'm not risking you getting pregnant. Last of all I think you only want to do it because it will anger your mother and that whole teenage rebellion does not make me at all horny".

Plus Wonder Woman could hurt me. I had images of that running through my head and while I wasn't sure if the Amazon Princess actually cared about Colette I wasn't willing to risk suffering her wrath. At least not without some sort of plan in place to deal with Wonder Woman.

"But I can do something that will make you feel good" I then offered "If you really need it".

She looked interested enough to make me think she might really be horny. To be fair I had gotten her worked up earlier and while I was so not in the mood I wasn't going to leave her unsatisfied, I was a man not a woman.

"Yeah?" she asked "What is it?"

I smiled.

"Lie down on the bed" I instructed.

Once she was lying down I slipped her underwear all the way down and then I threw them off to the side. Next I licked my lips and went on to place my tongue inside her pussy. She was already wet from before so there was no need for any kind of warm up.

This was further proven by Colette moaning loudly every time I plunged my tongue into her cunt, she moaned even louder and got wetter as I worked to bring her orgasm. I swirled my tongue very slowly, and she shifted her hips up against my mouth.

"Oh" she whispered "Right there."

She had a slight tangy taste, it was rather nice and she seemed to be either naturally hairless or very well shaved, so I didn't have to put with any pubic hair tickling my nose.

The only problem I had was how out of practice, I found that my tongue didn't have the stamina it used to. However I had to resist the urge to stop because she was really enjoying herself.

Thankfully for me she seemed easy to please using this method, she orgasmed before long.

"Oh wow, that was…wow" she said.

When I saw her face I knew she very happy.

"Did you enjoy it?" I asked smirking a little.

She nodded.

"Will you do it again?" she inquired.

I mulled over my answer for a moment or two.

"If you're good" I told her.

Now I was starting to see why it was so easy for women to control men with sex. Still all things considered I'd rather have her giving me oral, but the word 'castration' kept popping into my head.

"I'll be really good" Power promised.

That was something I could test.

"Go to bed" I ordered.

She grabbed her panties and scampered out of my room, which was amusing to watch.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author Note**

Either you will find this chapter very amusing, or they will seem very ridiculous. I can't decide which. If people like the idea of the Citadel than I'll have it in the story again.

 **DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 18**

 **The Citadel of Gothics. The Realm of Gothics.**

A moment ago I'd been lying in my bed thinking about what to do about angry Amazon mothers, and now I was standing in a chamber under a bright spotlight. I looked around and saw nothing, then when I looked at myself I found that I was wearing my armour and that I had my swords. Which was good news as it meant I wasn't helpless I would at least be able to defend myself from whoever it was who had abducted me.

"Hello" I said.

Suddenly some more spotlight came on and once my eyes had adjusted I saw several figures who were sitting on a raised platform behind a large desk. Then I started to make out some details and to my surprise I discovered that they were me, or that they at leasy looked like me. Each wore dark clothing in many different styles, and they also had on some sliver coloured accessories.

"Where am I?" I asked.

I knew that they appeared to be me, but I figured it was possible that they had simply taken my form for the ease of communication. I'd seen enough science fiction to know that alien beings sometimes did stuff like that and I was living in DC verse so weird shit was bound to happen. Not that knowing this stopped me from wanting to run like hell, but I was able to steady my breathing and remain somewhat calm.

"The Realm of Gothics" one of the beings answered.

This creature also had my appearance, however he looked somewhat older than me and he wore something that made me think he was some kind of sorcerer, he had an aura of power around him as well. Which might explain why he had the largest chair and why he sat between four other entities.

"The Realm of Gothics" I repeated.

While I thought that was a stupid name for any place I didn't let that distract me from the fact that he used the word 'Gothics' and since I called myself Gothic, at least most of the time, there had to be some sort of connection between myself as these people beyond mere looks.

"This is a plane of existence I created" said the sorcerer "It is a refuge for those of us who have grown so powerful that we no longer care to interact with lower beings".

That seemed very pompous to me, and also it didn't really answer any of the questions I had in my mind. Actually it generated even more.

"We five are arguably the most powerful of all the Gothics" the Sorcerer went on to say "and by combining our talents we have created the Council of Gothics to ensure that no Gothic disgraces us by either being too good or too evil. That tends to led to things being far less fun. And now and again will help out the lesser Gothic's in small but still effective ways".

That made very little sense to me. This was all way above my pay grade.

"Now to introductions, I am Planeswalker Gothic" the sorcerer went on to say "On my left is Gothic the Destroyer, and Gothic the Immortal".

Both of them looked like warriors despite them not carrying any weapons, the two of them were wearing armour of different designs, but some instinct of mine was telling me that they didn't need to.

"On my right is Wizard Gothic and Sparky Gothic" the Planeswalker introduced "They used their knowledge of both magic and technology to bring you here".

For the first time one of the mes other than the Planeswalker spoke. It was the Sparky guy who had somehow managed to make wearing a black leather lab coat look cool.

"If you watched enough of the old Doctor Who you'll know what a Time Scoop is" Sparky Gothic informed me "If you don't then to put it simply we scooped you up using a techno-mystical device, and you've travelled through both time and space".

That did actually make some sense to me. Which was nice because right now very little else did.

"So is this a trail or something?" I desired to know "Sure seems like one".

Although I couldn't imagine what sort of offence I might have committed against people like them.

"More of a review" corrected Wizard Gothic.

This other me was young looking, but again I could feel an aura of power about him. It wasn't as great as that of the Planeswalker, and that made sense given what Planeswalkers could do, however I figured he would't be here if couldn't match the others. Perhaps he had powers the others didn't.

"You haven't actually done anything wrong" said the warrior known Gothic the Destroyer "We're more concerned with what you will do. That's why we took you at this point in your time line. Its possible for you change your ways and become a true Gothic".

Now I was just plain confused.

"Out of all the Gothics out there in the omni-verse you're the least impressive" the Planeswalker informed me "We agree that you're fighting skills are fairly impressive given your power level, but you've improved little so far and you have no long term goals".

Next the Wizard spoke.

"There are Gothics out there who have conquered worlds, saved entire civilizations, pushed the boundaries of knowledge, and fucked some really hot bitches" he told me "and what have you done?".

My head then turned to the Destroyer guy.

"Slayer Gothic is no more powerful than you are and he's doing really well for himself" the warrior was now saying "He's got a harem of sexy babes, loads of cool weapons, magical items, plenty of spells, and from what we've seen he'll soon be building an army so he can go to war with a Demon Queen. It should be fun to watch".

Gothic the Immortal, who looked the most like me out of all of them, spoke next.

"In short compared to the rest of us you're kinda of pansy" he told me bluntly "I mean when I was in your position I was an emo whiny bastard for sure, but I knew how to kick butt and I scored with a few hots babes. You haven't even fucked that Power Girl chick".

I had valid reasons for that.

"Well I..." I started to say.

Planeswalker Gothic interrupted me.

"Yes we know about the whole man hating Amazon thing" he said "Its not as bad as it seems really, Wonder Woman could easily be prevented from interfering with your relationship. You'd have figured out a way if weren't such a sissy git".

Now I was offended.

"Hey!" I protested "I'm not a...".

Again I wasn't allowed to finish.

"And you're a dumbass" the mad science guy stated "All you have to is keep a hidden recording device on your person and wait until Wonder Woman threatens you, if she cares to, and when you stand up for yourself she will do what all DC super types do; which is use violence. You just record her attacking you for no valid reason and then later threaten to put the video up on whatever they have as You Tube in that reality".

That might work I realised.

"No he should challenge Wonder Woman to a duel" argued Gothic the Immortal "He's clearly a warrior like me, and a swordsmen. All he has to is issue the challenge and demand that the Amazon Princess stay out of his relationship if he defeats her a sword fight".

I could see a flaw with this plan.

"She'd kick my ass" I pointed out.

Gothic the Immortal did not agree.

"You have the same powers I started out with" he said "Stay here for a few days and I'll train you to be best swordsmen your world has ever seen, and Damien over there can enchant you a nice ring to increase your skill with the blade".

The Wizard nodded.

"Easily done, I just have to be careful not to destabilise the enchantments on the armour he is wearing" was what he had to say "Maybe some sort of intelligence enhancement too, I can put that on ear stud. I have something that will bypass the healing factor to allow piercings".

They seemed to want to be helpful, and that made me feel cautious for some reason.

"Maybe a nice gun too" Gothic the Destroyer suggested while gesturing at Gothic the Immortal "I'm sure demon-guy has something in his collection he'd be willing to give up".

The supposedly demonic person looked annoyed for a moment and then nodded.

"I'll find him something with a stun setting" he then said "Can't have Batman whining to him about killing people".

That was something I'd like to avoid.

"Normally we don't get this involved with the lives of other Gothics" the Sparky guy said "So this is a one off deal. Understood?".

Since I didn't really understand what was happening I just nodded and decided to go along with things.

"Immortal, take him down to the armoury and then start training him" the Planeswalker commanded "Damien you do the enchantments and I'll find a good magic book for him. Enochian would be good for someone with the name of an angel. Besides those wards are useful for hiding even with we have ways around them".

Before I could say anything about that the lights came on everywhere and I found that I was surrounded by half naked girls who looked as if they'd had the ears of different animals attached to them. As I took in more details I discovered that they actually wore what could only be called 'bikini armour' and they also had animal tails, and they weren't glued on they were really parts of their bodies.

"Don't be alarmed" Gothic the Immortal urged "These young ladies are Damien's work. The guy won't transform animals into objects, but for some reason he has no problem turning animals into people. We have them working security".

Which explained the weapons they carried, but there was something else I wanted to talk about.

"Do you guys like spy on me all the time?" I asked.

One of the other Gothics had mentioned something about watching me, and just now it had hit me just how creepy that was.

"Yes" the other me replied "but its more like viewing a highlight reel than watching Big Brother, we're not total perverts".

That made me feel a little better.

"We'll pass through the prison section" the immortal then told me "Its a short cut, which we need as I can't teleport or open portals here and the Citadel is a big place".

I figured that now was a good time to ask some questions.

"How big is this place?" I inquired.

Gothic the Immortal led through some secure looking and guarded doors before replying to me.

"I don't know really" he told me "There's a lot of ways to fold and expand dimensions using magic".

Having read the Harry Potter books I knew that.

"Is that a White Walker?" was my next question.

This prison was dull look in the sense that it was grey metal and while tiles, and it was all very clean. What was exotic about it were the creatures that were locked up.

"Yeah" the immortal said causally "Don't worry about him, they don't do very well if they spend too long in warm environments, and there aren't any dead bodies around here to animate".

That was a relief to hear.

"And there's an anti-magic field covering the prison so even if he got out he'd be powerless" the demon guy then added "It doesn't effect magical items so the guards could kill him with ease. Besides he'll be take apart in a lab pretty soon".

I was impressed. These versions of me had god like power and they could safely contain very dangerous creatures without concern.

"Now down here" my counterpart instructed.

I followed him down corridors that looked like they belonged in a castle, and I spotted some more guards, who were armed with staffs like Jaffa, only their weapons looked easier to handle.

However their weapons were nothing compared to what was inside the armoury. Once the immortal had gotten us inside the vault, which was something that had involved a lot of electronic safety measures, I saw the mother load. There were pistols, rifles, swords, staffs, maces, axes, tridents, spears, energy weapons like phasers, projectile weapons such as crossbows, and things that I couldn't even guess how to use.

"Now this one of my favourites" the immortal guy said "The particle magnum, its a cross between a phaser and a long-barreled revolver. The cylinder of the weapon has a power cell with a luminescent dome on the back. The cell has a finite amount of energy, but can be removed to recharge or replace it".

I'd watched Stargate Atlantis so I was somewhat familar with the weapon, still I listen carefully on the subject of how to use it.

The weapon has three settings: stun, kill, and incinerate. The toggle is on the barrel just in front of the cylinder, move it and the cylinder colour changes to indicate the setting: green is for stun, red is for kill, white is for when you need to blast through the door of a bank vault".

I was practically drooling at this point.

"When set on stun, the particle magnum can render the target unconscious for several hours with a single shot, making it far more potent than a most stunners" the demon guy went on to say "When set to kill, it can kill humans and most humanoids in a single shot. The incinerate setting drains the power cell in a few shots but you can blast your way through a solid wall of metal with ease".

I gratefully took the gun.

"Now let's get down to the sparring chamber" Gothic the Immortal said "I'd need to turn you into a true warrior before we send you home".

Eagerly I followed him, and I hoped that while here I would get to see much more of the Citadel.


	19. Chapter 19

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 19**

 **Location Unknown.**

When I looked around I noted that the air was calm and there was barely a cloud in the sky. The ground was covered in at least a foot of snow and it could be seen for miles around with only a few clusters of trees around to bring any sort of colour to the place. Also there were large mountains in the background, but they were too far away for me to reach and I wasn't going to try as they looked to be totally lifeless.

"Jerks" I muttered.

A matter of moments ago I'd been inside the Citadel of Gothics, which had nice and warm, now I was in this frozen wasteland with only my armour and weapons. I hadn't expected the other Gothics to drop me off anywhere other than Mount Justicem so I was simply not prepared for a place such as this. I lacked the right supplies.

This was either the work of the other Gothics, or a being they'd told me about called the Traveller. If it was him then I might be in real danger.

I assumed that the other Gothics hadn't made a mistake, they didn't seem the kind to miscalculate such things, so I figured they'd might have sent me here on purpose. Perhaps it was more training, I'd been doing a lot of that these last few weeks, learning about fighting and magic. Should I do well they might just bring me back to the Citadel and then send me home later on.

That would be something I'd enjoy as the place had been amazing. It was a fortress containing many wonders, such as items of powers, amazing bits of technology, magical constructs that could do the work of a dozen robots, and very attractive females. They even had a zoo which contained animals from endangered species that were now thriving in artificial environments kept inside massive these domes. It really put Superman's Fortress to shame.

Still even if they didn't just scoop me up and bring me back I'd see the place again one day. I was a true immortal and one day my power would be so great that the Council of Gothic would invite me to join them.

While thinking more about the Citadel I started to move towards higher ground, hoping to get a better view of the area. I spotted something that turned out to be wrapped in paper much like a Birthday or Xmas gift would be. There was even a tag on it. Which I read.

 _'To Azrael, from Sparky. Enjoy having your own Mother Box'_

I unwrapped it to find what I knew to be a Mother Box, if I remembered correctly these could be used to open Boom Tubes. A Boom Tube was a slang expression for a kind of extra-dimensional point-to-point portal (a form of teleportation) that were opened by a Mother Box, they were used primarily by residents of New Genesis and Apokolips, but the League had their own versions called Zeta Tubes.

"Maybe I'm meant to make my own way back" I said to myself.

That made sense as the other version of me thought I was a bit thick so they'd want me to figure things out for myself so that I could prove my worth. Which I would have found insulting had I not spent time in the Citadel's archives and learned about what the other Gothics had gotten up in their dimensions. Some of my counterparts were good and some were evil, while others had been neutral, but they'd all done amazing things so I had a lot to prove.

It was then I realised that I might be on Earth and the Mother Box could be a means to get back to the Citadel, so I checked my com-link. Only I found nothing but static. Which suggested that I wasn't on the right planet, I might not even be on any Earth after all, although the trees looked right. Not that this really meant anything as this could be an alien planet that just happened to trees.

Also when I got up the nearest high ground the view didn't improve, so I decided to check out some of the pine trees. My thinking now was that I could find some kind of shelter, make a fire, and then try to figure out the Mother Box.

I walked to the trees and found that luck was on my side. There was enough cover to keep the wind off me and some of the twigs on the ground were dry enough thanks to a bed of leaves keeping the snow off them.

Once I had built a fire I used an Old One spell that had been taught to me mere days ago to light a fire, this not only provided me with warmth, which I would need once the sun was gone, it also gave me a bit more light to work with.

Then I started to try to figure out the Mother Box, and after a while I gave up as I had no idea how to use the damn thing. It hadn't come with a instruction manual, it didn't even have a screen. However it did have buttons so I figured it wasn't controlled mentally, at least not totally. Also this version did look human made so a human being must be able to use it.

I then remembered that it might be alive in some respect, perhaps even controlled by an inbuilt AI si I tried mentally commanding the box to open a Boom Tube to Mount Justice, only nothing happened. I guessed that it might need coordinates, but even I had known the right ones for the base I had no way of entering them as there was keypad either.

After giving up on that I decided to collect some more wood now so that it could dry by the fire before being thrown on later. Once I'd made it to the next cluster of trees I heard voices in the distance, and that made me very happy as talking was something people did and people meant civilization, which it turn meant I could go somewhere warm to sleep.

As I got closer I realized that the voices were speaking in a language I had never heard before so I slowed down and got sneaky. I followed the voices to a small clearing and got behind a tree so I wouldn't be seen. Next I peered out and saw a light green vehicle of some sort that was parked in a clearing within the small woods. It was not human made.

When I saw the aliens, who were humanoid lizards with wings I sussed out they were Gordanians. They were a nasty lot who went around wreaking planets, taking slaves and generally specialising in being total jerks.

"We should leave this planet" an alien with a high tech looking spear was saying "and then we can go collect our bounty for the delivering the princess".

I then noted that a light on the Mother Box was blinking, it wasn't a button so I guessed the device was somehow translating for me.

"Stop complaining" the other, who was holding a massive axe, replied "we have a quota to fell. Humans may be weak but they're not common in the galaxy a few of them along with the princess will make this trip very profitable".

I grabbed an angel's wing, my version of a Batarang, out of my utility belt and flipped it open. Then I threw it across the clearing behind the lizards and as planned it caused a branch to fall off a tree. The Gordanians looked over to where the sound had come from.

"Probably an Earth animal," the one of them said to other "Still we best go check it out just in case."

Once they were gone I ninjad my onto the ship as best I could given that I didn't exactly blend with the snow, and when I was inside I gagged due the smell. It was humid and foul inside the craft and right away I knew I didn't want to be on board this craft any longer than I had to.

Sadly my plan required me to stay here so that I could save people from becoming slaves. Once the foul xenos were back on board I would stun the aliens, lock them in their own cells, and then get the humans to take to where ever it was they called home. Hopefully that place would be in range of the League's comm devices if not then I would have to call Bruce Wayne on the phone because only the League could deal with alien slavers in the long term.

The space ship wasn't very big so I explored the sections I could access very quickly, and I didn't find the crew which suggested they were all off grabbing some humans. Since there was no here I decided that I should just go hide and wait, only then I heard something go bang.

After taking out the Sword of Sins I slowly made my way down the corridor and towards the sound, which was repeating. I found that the thumping noise was coming from behind a metal door and then came a scream of anger. It was female.

"The princess" I whispered.

I went for the electronic panel on the side of the door, and then paused because I had no idea how to unlock the door. On a hunch I held up the Mother Box to the lock and when a button flashed I pressed it.

The light on the panel turned green and beeped. I figured that the door was now unlocked so I attached the Mother Box to my utility belt, and then I pressed the green part of the panel.

Suddenly the thumping and angry screaming stopped. Next the door opened with a hiss and out of the darkness stepped a tall dark haired alien female who wore something that looked like both body armour and a dress. I got no further details as she jumped right out at me with her fists raised up. Her hands were shackled together, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to bludgeon me to death with them.

"Hold on I'm on your side!" I shouted.

Clearly she didn't believe me.

"I will destroy you!" the girl shouted.

Thankfully I somersaulted out of the way of her clumsy strike, which was good because this alien babe was strong to dent the wall.

"Please, stop," I said after dodging a few more attacks "I really am on your side. I want to save you".

The alien girl with the strange coloured skin looked at me with skepticism.

"You are not my enemy" she said.

The princess, assuming this was her, then slowly walked up to me. I backed up until I was against the wall. She came face to face with me and she bent down until her eyes met mine. They glowed for a second before becoming much more human looking.

"What are you.." I started to say.

I was cut off when she suddenly mashed her lips upon mine. She was kissing me and I found myself kissing her back. Then alien babe then pulled away and looked at me with curiosity.

"That was pleasant" she said.

I had to agree.

"Was that a thank you?" I wondered.

The alien babe shook her head, which I guessed was a universal gesture.

"My people can learn the speech of any intelligent being that we make lip contact with" she explained "I couldn't understand you before".

That was both cool and a little disappointing. Not that I had wanted her to kiss me, I had a girlfriend, but being thanked was nice, and it had been a good kiss.

"My name is Azrael" I then said.

The name Gothic might be known to aliens as my counterparts seemed to get around so I had decided not to use it around strangers.

"I'm Princess Komand-r from the Planet Tamaranean" she said "You may call me Blackfire. I was taken from my home to be sold as a slave, as was my sister, but she is not on this ship".

Shame I would have enjoyed kissing another princess.

"Well I'm here to save you and any other prisoners on this ship" I told Blackfire "Because I...".

The real reason was a lot less impressive sounding so I decided to come with something cooler.

"Because its what I do" I then finished.

She gave me a look that on a human girl would be coquettish. However I had no idea if she meant to be flirtatious, she might not as kissing didn't mean for her species what it did for mine, but I got the feeling that I was reading her right.

"How about you get me out of these things" she requested while lifted her shackled hands "and I'll show you how a we thank brave rescuers on my planet".

I had to remind myself that I had girlfriend, although thinking that did led to me thinking about a threesome with Blackfire and Power Girl.

"Sure" I told her.

It was tempting to try out my gun as on a high setting it could blast threw a bank vault, but it was an energy weapon and what covered her hands was metal. So even if I fired the magnum at the right angle the energy might spread across her body, which would kill her. So instead of trying that I used the Mother Box to unlock her cuffs.

"Is that a Boom Tube Generator?" the space hottie asked.

I nodded to confirm that it was.

"I'd get us out of here, but it won't work" I said.

She didn't seem upset by that news.

"Gordanians use a special jamming signal to prevent any kind of teleportation and communications near their ship" the princess explained "Its so people can't call for help when they get taken, and it stops anyone teleportating slaves off their ships".

Well that explained the static on the comm line, and why the Mother Box couldn't generate a Boom Tube, it seemed to do everything else I wanted so I figured that without the jamming all I would have had to do was hold the box, desire to go home, and then press a button.

"Let's double check to make sure your sister isn't on this ship" I then said to Blackfire "and there could be more of your people on board".

The princess didn't seem eager to do that, nor did she protest so I went to the next cell door, intending to check for more hot space babes but suddenly Blackfire grabbed me by the arm.

"Don't. I heard the Gordanians talking about the prisoner in that cell" she warned "Its a... you don't have a word for it, but trust me its bad. You don't want to get eaten".

That would be bad.

"Okay so I guess we'll leave it in there for now," I decided "Let's go to the bridge. I need to figure out how to turn off their jamming signal, then we call some friends of mine and let them deal with the Gordanians".

I had a hot space babe with me who might want sex so I wasn't going to risk her in a fight with some lizard aliens as long as there was a chance I might get to see her naked later. Which I might as I had no idea how long I'd been gone from Earth, and this might not even be my Earth, so I might be singal right now.

"I can do that" Blackfire informed me "The controls shouldn't be complex. They're barely any smarter than you humans".

The look I gave her was an offended one.

"If it helps your species is far more attractive" she then said "I'd have sex with a human".

We made it to the bridge at the front of the ship and soon judging by the vibrations rattling the ship Blackfire had began firing up the engines.

"Excuse me princess" I protested "but we can't leave the planet, the Gordanians are still out there".

I looked out the window and I felt my eyes widen when I saw the two Gordanians that I'd sent off into the woods had come back and they were running towards the ship.

"Sit down and buckle up" Blackfire ordered.

By the looks of things I was about to blast off into space so I did exactly as I was told.

The ship then lifted up into the air and did a 180 degree turn, had I not put on my seat belt I would have been throw from my chair.

"Marry me off to your Overlord will you" Blackfire shouted while pressing some buttons "Die you fuckers!".

She learned English very well from me, or very poorly depanding on a person's point of view.

"Don't shoot them" I requested "they might have some of my people with them".

She either didn't hear, or chose not as she opened up with the weapons. I didn't see the effects, but I felt them as the whole ship shook.

"Okay hero boy" the Princess said as the ship took off "I can either lower the jamming signal and let that space station know we are here, or we can go to my planet for your reward and have lots of sex".

I wanted to go home, but then I remember what the other Gothics thought of me. I wanted them to think better of me and I realised that peer pressure from alternate version of yourself was powerful stuff.

"Let's go to your world" I said.

The ship shot into space and found myself being pressed into my seat so hard that it hurt, it was not a fun ride.


	20. Chapter 20

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 20**

 **Royal Palace. Tamaran.**

"Okay hero-boy" the princess said as she entered her chambers "Cock out, I've got just enough time for a quick fuck, and then you need to get out of here"

Which would be a shame as I'd spent the last few days living in a place, and while it didn't compare to the Citadel of Gothics, it was still a nice place.

Thoughts about such thing feld my head as I watched Blackfire hiked up her skirt, pulled down her lace black panties and slowly slide herself down onto my cock, which I gotten out for her. Then she started riding me reverse cowgirl style.

The sound of slapping flesh and moaning echoed even louder throughout the princess's bedchamber, but Blackfire didn't seem to care who heard her. In fact neither did I so I started slapping the space babe's ass as she did what she did best.

''Ooh! That's it hero boy, smack my butt!'' she yelled.

I'd only fucked her a few times, but I already knew that she liked it rough so I slapped her more.

'''You like that don't you?'' I asked her.

I didn't need to see her face to know what she was smiling.

''Aaah! Yes!" she shouted "Hit me harder!''

Which was exactly what I did.

"Cum for me hero-boy" she then demanded.

I knew I soon would.

"I'm about to feel your pussy" I said as I felt her inner walls enclosed around my shaft "make me cum".

She also loved dirty talk.

''Cum inside me" she pretty much ordered "I want to feel your hot and sticky cum in my pussy".

She moaned loudly before moving even faster than before. It drove me over the edge.

'Blackfire I'm going to…'' I tried to warn her.

Both of us continued to grunt and rut like animals in heat and then space babe screamed like a banshee as I filled her womb with my sperm.

Once she had caught her breathe then Blackfire got off me and picked up her panties before speaking to me.

"Reward given" she said "Time to go home hero-boy. I have to into hiding for a while. Maybe I'll see around some day. Visit that dirtball you call home".

She left without another word so I quickly got dressed and used the Mother Box to open a Boom Tube home.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

The team, minus a few members, were hard at work training, when a screen with Batman's image upon it came on.

"Attention Team" said the Dark Knight

They all looked to see the screen widened to show Batman and Robin, who were both covered in clay.

"Take a zeta-tube to Gotham City, and meet Robin at these coordinates" the Caped Crusader ordered.

The Team looked to each other before Aqualad spoke up.

"What is the mission?"

Before Batman could speak, Kid Flash spoke up.

"Hold on shouldn't we wait for Artemis, and M'gann?" he wished to know.

The second question was answered first.

"No they're busy" Batman said "M'gann's helping J'onn, and I have Artemis doing something else."

Then the first question was answered.

"There's a creature in my city" Gotham's Grim Guardian was now saying "By the name of Clayface. I don't have time to go and after him, and to come with a way to contain him, he's causing all sorts of problems so you need to keep him busy for me".

Aqualad had no problem with this.

"We'll handle it" he assured the Dark Knight.

(Line Break)

 **Warehouse District. Gotham.**

Aqualad if he'd been asked, and had the time to answer would admit that he and his team, which right now was only himself, Robin, Kid Flash, Power Girl and Superboy, were getting their butts kicked. He wouldn't use those words himself, but he would describe them as inaccurate.

Right now Batman was working on a way to contain the creature known as Clayface, he'd done it before but past methods had for some reason failed, so the Dark Knight had sent in the team to keep Clayface busy. Sadly for the group they weren't having much luck with that.

Aqualad had no water left to control, Power Girl and Superboy's brute force methods weren't working and Robin was running out of toys. The only thing keeping the situation remotely under control was Kid Flash. He was distracting Clayface by being annoying, and thanks to his speed Wally was avoiding being hit, which was at least buying the team some time.

That time came to a quick end when Kid Flash ran into some of the mud like substance Clayface was made out of and suddenly found himself unable to move his legs. Now it looked as the team was in serious trouble, and for Kal that fear was confirmed when the creature formed a massive mallet which would splat Wally.

 _'Nnn- uaaah'_ (protect, spell)

That voice was familiar to the whole team, but what really got their attention was the magical shield that prevented Kid Flash from becoming Kid Flat.

 _'Fhtagn uaaah'_ (sleep spell)

As it turned out Clayface could fall sleep, and when it did the creature lost its form becoming little more than a pile of smelly gunk.

"I don't how long that will last" said a hooded figured "We might need a container of some kind".

The team then turned to see Gothic walk into view.

"Hey guys, did you miss me?" he asked.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"We need to talk to Aqualad" said the Dark Knight when the Team returned to base "The rest of you hit the showers, Flash, Robin you go home".

The group's leader spoke before Batman could.

"I know the team performed poorly" he started to say "If Gothic hadn't shown up we...".

Batman interrupted him simply by raising his hand.

"The Team did fine" the Caped Crusader said "The problem is you. Your head wasn't in the game".

Which worried Gotham's Grim Guardian.

"No you're..." the Atlantian struggled to say.

Aqualad tried to deny it but he could not.

"You're right" he then admitted "Lately my thoughts have been in Atlantis."

And on someone who lived in that city.

"You need to keep focus on the mission" Batman reminded "Or you'll get someone hurt maybe even killed. I'm giving everyone the week off so why don't you go home to visit, and clear your head. If you can't be up here then let us know by the end of the week".

Aqualad nodded before turning to the tunnel, and walking through it towards the teleporter.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

Robin and I were hard at work hooking up a brand new Xbox 360 to the T.V. And for reasons he didn't deem to share Superboy was watching the static filled screen with great interest.

"Why didn't you get a PlayStation, instead of a Xbox?" Kid Flash asked me "Its a better console".

I was very offended by those words.

"Heretic!" I shouted "Xbox is vastly superior to Playstation!".

He didn't argue on the subject. Which was good because there was no way he would have won.

"Whose cares about stupid games" Power Girl said "Have you seen the size of this rock?".

Despite having seen it before Megan took the time to be impressed with the gem stone that was kept in place by a golden chain.

"Be careful with that Centauri Moon Diamond" the green girl warned "the Centauri don't like it when people take them. Not that they can do anything about it, they can't arrest Earth natives".

I'd been given it by Blackfire as a gift so I hadn't stolen it, and neither had she as it had come out of the treasury on her planet. Giving it to Colette made me feel a lot less guilty about fucking Blackfire during our thirty light year trip to her home planet, and while on her world, and again just before returning to Earth.

Thankfully getting back had been much easier than getting to Tameran thanks to the fact that I had my own Mother Box. Batman had expressed visible concern upon seeing me with the device, but he had told that he wouldn;t confiscate it as lomg I used it responsibly. By that I assumed he meant not to go and use it to sneak into the Fortress of Solitude.

"Okay we are set up" Robin declared "We have a new games console and a whole lot of games curiosity of Gothic".

That would keep the males on the team occupied for a good long while.

"How can you afford this" Kid Flash asked.

I had an answer for him

"Because I am rich" I told him "I was well rewarded for saving the space princess from slavery".

Sadly Blackfire had to go into hiding because if the lizard aliens found out she was back home it might start another war. Which meant I was unlikely to see her ever again, but that was a good thing as I didn't want her to ever be in the same room as Colette Kent.

"Gothic, can you help me please?" I then heard Megan call out "You're the only one aside from me who can cook".

I nodded before walking over to were Meg was levitating a book in front of her while also taking things out of the fridge using her mind powers.

"Lets see.." she muttered

A bag of brown sugar soon came flying out of a cupboard and I had to use all my ninja skills to catch it.

"We'll need brown sugar" Me'gann was muttering "A little butter. Some salt. Cooking oil."

I tried to keep everything from falling as she continued to send items flying my way. Things soon went wrong and I ended up covered in flour.

Red Tornado then walked inside the room and took a long look at me.

"Are you going to clean that up?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"Carry on" he then said before turning and leaving.

Megan blushed when she saw the mess of me she had gone and made.

"Sorry I lost my concentration for a second there" she said.

Colette came over to me and brushed some of the flour of my head.

"Maybe we can go out tonight" she suggested "and get something to eat that won't end up in your hair".

That sounded like a plan to me.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"Where you watching me sleep?" I asked.

I'd woken to up to the sight of Colette looking me, she seemed happy and given what had happened mere hours I wasn't surprised.

"Maybe" she said as she kissed my forehead.

I took that as a yes.

"What are you some kinda of weirdo that watches people sleep?" was my next question "Are you going to make a habit of this?".

She smiled some more.

"Maybe" she told me.

I then had yet another question.

"What time is it?" I wished to know.

She was between me and the alarm clock so I couldn't check for myself.

"Its the middle of the night" she informed me "I don't sleep much and I didn't want to wake you".

One more question soon left my mouth.

"Why are you wearing my t-shirt?" I desired to know.

It was the custom one I'd had made, the one with the angel wing symbol I used as Azrael.

"Well I missed you" she confessed "so I started wearing it to bed".

She'd been naked when I'd fallen asleep so I knew she must have gone back to her room to get it.

"Wanna have sex?" she then asked me "or are you to tired?".

I'd taken her virginity mere hours ago and already she was hooked on sex. This was pleasing.

"Sure" I replied.

I tried to get her to lie down so I could get on top of her, but she didn't let me do what I wanted.

"Nah ah, I'm on top this time" she insisted.

The view would have been better if she'd still been naked, but having her straddling me was always fun. She wasn't that heavy considering how strong she was.

"Okay" I said "but don't go to fast".

She took off my shirt to reveal her massive boobs.

"Oh, don't worry about that" she assured me "You don't have to be impress me. You rocked my world already".

Colette then took out a condom and put it on, but not until she had rubbed me to get me even harder. Also I figured she must have practised putting them on something penis shaped because she was very good at it.

Next I watched as she lifted herself up and then using her hand she placed my tip of hard cock inside her, and once she was ready she lowered her hips and took all of me inside her. As she did that she bite her lower lip in a very adorable waym while moaning loudly.

"Want me to move?" she asked.

She cruelly kept still, forcing me to answer.

"Yes, move" I demanded.

She began slowly moving up and down on me.

"Faster!" I urged.

Collete began moaning some more as she found a pace she liked, I laid onto my back as she placed her hands on my chest and I found that I was breathing heavily. Our eyes locked, and I could see how full of lust she was right now.

Which she soon very well expressed by my ridding me even faster than before. She was going up and down on me while digging her nails in my chest. I had to grab ahold of her hips because I was worried she'd either do me some damage or fall off the bed.

I struggled to keep hold of her as I had my focus on her boobs, which were mesmerising to watch move up and down. I only stopped to when I felt myself climaxing, and by that time we were both panting like crazy.

"That was…awesome" Power said while shaking a little.

I didn't reply as soon I was too busy getting rid of the now used condom.

"Go back to sleep" Collete then urged "I want you rested so we can have more sex".

At the rate she was going it would be worth being with Power even it meant one day soon running into a pissed off Wonder Woman. But I wasn't too worried about that as while I'd not spent that much time being trained by Gothic the Immortal he taught me enough that I should be able to take her by surpise, and if that didn't work. Well it wasn't as she could kill me.


	21. Chapter 21

**DC Gothic – Young Justice**

 **Part 21**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"Diana, wait!" Superman called out.

He took hold of her arm as part of a futile effort to make her change her mind.

"Can't we sort this out without having you fight him" the Man of Steel asked Wonder Woman "I can talk to Gothic, get him to call off this duel".

The Amazon Princess wanted to settle this matter honourably, so she would go through with the duel.

"No, Kal El" she replied "I appreciate the gesture, but I need to take care of this myself. Don't worry as Themyscira's Champion, I have proven myself to be my people's best warrior. There's no need to be concerned about me".

Wonder Woman's safety wasn't Superman's real concern, as he knew very well that she could handle herself, he was more worried about the fallout from having a member of Justice League fight a member of the Team, or Young Justice as he'd heard it be called, they were suppose to be allies. Plus in a sense Colette was his daughter as well, and this had be upsetting her.

"Diana…" Superman tried to say.

Wonder Woman turned and smiled at the Man of Steel.

"Things will turn out fine, Clark" she promised.

When Wonder Woman entered the main room of the cave she looked upon her opponent without apprehension or hesitation. He was a young looking man, a boy in her mind, who dared to think he was good enough to share a bed with her daughter. She had forbidden the partnership, yet rather than heed her wishes Power Girl had refused to listen and then Azrael, or Gothic as he was known to his friends, had challanged her to a duel.

The stakes were simple. If Wonder Woman won then Azrael would break things off with Power Girl, and even leave the team, however if he won then Diana had to withdraw her objections. The Princess had been suprised by the challange, but she had accepted because for the Amaszons trail by combat was acceptable way of settling disputes.

Next Wonder Woman took note of Azrael's arms and armour. The young hero wore an outfit made of both leather and metal, and it was held together by buckles. It was like nothing the Princess had ever seen before, but she knew it was enchanted in some way just like her own armour was.

Normally the so called Avenging Angel wore a mask and kept a hood up while on missions, today he hadn't covered in face and his hood was down.

As for his weapons Azrael carried two magical swords into battle, but today he would only use one blade just as Wonder Woman would. The terms of the duel forbade the use of any other weapons.

Once she was done with her examation Wonder Woman marched towards him and she halted several feet away from him before moving into a fighting stance. Her sword was in her hand, and she was mentally prepared.

"Are you ready?" the Amazon inquired.

Azrael raised his flaming sword up into the air and made the first move. Diana easily blocked his high blow with her sword. The strength behind the blow was more powerful than Wonder Woman had expected, but that did not cause her to worry. If anything, it pleased her as it meant this would be a fairer duel.

After a few mores Diana knew that she would not need to hold back too much while duelling with this immortal. Diana also knew she needed to remain calm and composed as she sparred with him. This was not a battle to the death, this was a honourble duel and she would not it end with too much blood.

And of course there was always the chance that she would make a mistake and actually die, even if it was unlikely. Diana was not sure how Azrael's life could possibly end, however that didn't mean she was going to strike at the young hero without a thought to his safety. She might not be able to kill him, but no one was sure how extensive his healing power was, it wouldn't do to hack off a limb and leave the boy crippled.

Once both of the warriors had made a few moves, they circled warily around each other. Then one at a time, they took turns striking, further testing the strengths behind each other's blows.

After Diana and Gothic had a better idea of the others abilities the pace of their sword fight became fast and furious. Sparks flew off their swords as they parried blows of physical might and speed. Strikes and counterstrikes were exchanged. One moment, Azrael advanced and pushed Diana him back, and the next moment, it was Wonder Woman on the offensive.

As they continued to parry and strike, the group surronding them watched the battle. Rarely had even the more experienced heroes witnessed a swordfight that lasted as long as this. Most duels between two people ended quickly when the more skilled swordsmen, or swordswoman, overwhemled his or her foe. Sometimes the outcome could be decided by sheer luck, but most of the time the better warrior defeated the lesser.

For Clark, this was somwhat like watching a well choreographed fighting scene that he had until now only seen in movies. He had never truly seen Diana, or anyone really, so skillfully use a sword against a worthy opponent such as Gothic, who had the skills of a centuries old assassin/crusader to call upon.

The entire group was transfixed with what they were watching. And each one of them silently prayed or wished that the fight would end with any real injuries.

Soon Diana and Gothic used their swords to push at each other until they broke apart. Azrael was not out of breathe, but his breathing was a little ragged. Most of the heroes figured it would be over soon and that Wonder Woman would either drive the younger warriors to surrender or disarm him. It was only a matter of time.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"I don't get what just happen" Kid Flash said as the League members left the cave "Gothic lost, but he doesn't have to break with Colette".

Given the terms of the duel I should have been forbidden from ever seeing Power Girl ever again, but it hadn't worked out that way.

"The Amazons are a warrior people" I said to Wally West "I impressed Wonder Woman by acting as a warrior, and I won her approval".

I'd not expected that to happen, but nor was I surprised. What did shock me was Colette punching me in the arm, it really hurt.

"Don't ever do that again" she demanded "You nearly got yourself killed".

Actually I hadn't.

"Or at least horribly wounded" I corrected "Really it wasn't that bad. I think you did more damage than your mother did".

Colette didn't admit that she'd been wrong to hit me, however she did rub my arm. I figured that was as close to an apology as I would get.

"So you weren't fighting for Power so much as you were fighting to prove you're worthy of her" Wally summerised "Now I get it".

That had been the point. Treating Colette as a prize to be won would have offended Wonder Woman, fighting to be worthy of her in the eyes of another warrior was a different matter.

"What would you have done if she hadn't been so nice" wondered Artemis "Were you going to leave the team?".

That was what would have happened.

"I wouldn't have had a choice" I said "and its not like we had any other options. Wonder Woman would have done something drastic to break us up".

That was when I felt Colette rubbing my arm again.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

Wonder Woman hadn't harmed me, however I was a little sore from the fight.

"A little" I said.

She smiled and then started to drag me off to the bedroom.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Habour.**

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Colette sat down on the couch next to me that I had in my bedroom. It was a large chamber so I had plenty of space for new stuff and I brought myself a few things recently, including a TV.

"Taking care of you" she said.

She scooted closer, and started touching my shoulder.

"Let me take of care of you" she said gently "I want to".

It seemed wise to indulge her.

"Take off your shirt," she then said

I wondered if I had bruises she wanted to kiss better or if she just liked feeling my mucsles.

"Is this some ploy of yours" I asked "Some plan to get sex?".

She smiled at me.

"Do I need any ploys?" she asked back.

No she did not.

"So do I need a doctor?" I inquired once I was topless "Or will sexy nurse Colette be able to handle me".

She giggled softly.

"No" she said "I can handle it"

She then started to kiss me in different places.

"What are you doing?" I wished to know.

It was pretty clear that she was horny so I had no idea why I questioning her actions.

"Just relax," she said patiently "You need a massage".

I agreed with that.

"Do me and I'll do you?" I offered.

She was strong but also gentle as she helped me relax.

"You know If this whole superheroine thing doesn't work out for you, you'll make a damned good masseuse" I told her.

Again she laughed.

"Go lie down on the bed" she then said.

My thinking was that she was going to touch me somewhere fun.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

Soon after I was lying on the bed I closed my eyes and I felt her hands get back to work. Her fingers ran down my stomach, and then even lower

"If you don't stop, I'm going to end up fucking you," I warned her "Then you won't get your massage".

She bit down on her lower lip.

"Well that was the general idea" she replied.

I pushed her off me and then I was the one on top of her.

"You are going to get it" I said.

That made her smile.

"Take off my clothes" she requested.

My hands fell to the fly of her blue jeans and I quickly had them undone. Then we both helped peel them off her legs, and her panties followed swiftly. She kicked them free as I took of my boots. The rest of my clothes soon followed as Colette took off her top to show that she wasn't wearing a bra. Which was something I was grateful for.

"We need protection" she reminded.

It took me about ten seconds to find the box of condoms I kept in my room.

"Hurry up" Colette urged "I want you inside me".

I quickly put the condon on and soon I was thrusting into her body in a sure, steady rhythm. I fucked her with a single-minded intensity that left her gasping.

"Slow down…a bit" I heard say between moans.

I really didn't want to, yet somehow I managed to control myself enough.

"Yeah…like that…" she said between deep breathes "Nice and slow…"

I think she understood that I wanted it rougher as she didn't make me keep up the slow pace for long.

"Now harder... and faster" she urged "Yes…yes…"

She dug her nails into my back as my speed increased, and soon there were screams and gasps of pleasure spilling from her throat. Hearing them drove me on and really started giving it to her.

"I'm gonna…!" she screamed.

A moment later, she did and it was loud, but I hardly noticed the volume as I too busy cumming inside her.

"Can we do that...every night…?" she asked once I had rolled off her.

Sometime passed before I could answer as it me while to get my breathing under control. Plus the condom needed to be dealt with, they were annoying.

"If you insist" I said.

That made her very happy I saw her smile before she moved to rest her head on my chest.

"I'll make breakfast in the morning" she then said "Eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes. Lots of pancakes".

That sounded yummy.

"I am so going to fuck you again after breakfast" I told her.

That made her giggle some more.

"Promise?" she asked.

I nodded, and then closed my eyes. It wasn't late, but I really wanted to get some sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

**DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Part 22**

 **Apartment. Gotham.**

While in this part of the city it wasn't an odd sight to find a cop or two around, as they were often called into this neck of the woods to deal with domestic problems, drunks, dealers and pimps, it was odd to have an apartment was filled with police.

Detective Harvey Bullock sat at the kitchen table across from the junkie who had called the law. He was taking down everything the young man had to say. If any one were to look at the scene, they would think that the disheveled detective actually cared about doing his job, and they would be right.

"And are you sure he told that he got the stuff from a new guy behind a store?" the detective asked "the place on the corner?".

Dealers were hardly a rare sight in this part of Gotham, but the gangs tended to control the drug trade so it was odd that an unknown person had been dealing. He might have been a new member of a local gang, but Dent figured that something else was going on. This had been the third case of death by overdose he'd invested tonight and it wasn't even the weekend.

"Y-yeah" replied the dead junkies flatmate "Like I told that lady cop. Jimmy said he got the new stuff from a guy he'd never seen before, and it wasn't the first time either".

Bullock closed his notebook and sighed.

"You're not lying to me now are ya?" the detective asked "Cause if you are I'll find out and I will find you".

The threat wasn't needed, but it was hard to break old habits and it was very rare for someone in this neighbourhood to cooperate with the GCPD.

"I just watched my buddy die screaming right in front of me" the still living junkie said "Why would I lie about it?".

Contrary to what people might think Harvey Bullock was not a cruel man. He was able to empathise with the person sitting across from him.

"I promise ya, we'll bring the bastard whose selling this crap down hard" the dectective said "Now if you know what's good for you, you'll nicely ask one of the uniformed officers to take you in. You helped us so maybe you can avoid prision altogether and we can get you into rehad before you end up like your friend".

Numbly the junkie rose from the table and moved to where a tall police officer waited for him. Bullock then got up and headed over to his partner, Renee Montoya. She had replaced Yin who was now partnered with a younger dectective for the time being.

"So, waddya think Renee?" he asked her "Is this more of that Joy stuff".

Joy was a new drug that was hitting the streets. It was more addictive than crack and it was killing a lot of people. When it didn't kill the people taking it ended up in a state of sheer joy, hence the name and when they came down they badly wanted more.

"Not sure" she replied "These guys aren't crack users, it might just be bad luck".

Bullock felt otherwise.

"We've been called out six times this week because of someone ODing, and I know that usually means a tainted shipment and that all the deaths normally lead back to one dealer, but that ain't happened. Its different dealers and these junkies. Hell, they weren't even using the same drugs! Two guys were on coke, three were crackheads, and this guy was shooting up. Something's going on out there, and I wanna know what it is. Grab the smack, and let's head down to the station we can let the lab boys find out if its Joy".

(Line Break)

 **GCPD HQ. Gotham.**

The next day, Bullock and Montoya met with the head of the Forensics Department to discuss the evidence.

"It was tricky" said the scientist, who a tall man with thick glasses and dark hair "We ran dozens of tests on the different sample you gave us before we finally found how Joy kills".

The guy in lab coat didn't leave the detectives in suspense.

"Its cocaine mixed with a complex neurotoxin" he explained "This isn't something you can cook up in a meth lab".

It would take a high tech lab and a skilled chemist to make the stuff.

"Neurotoxin?" Bullock echoed "You tellin' me someone is poisoning junkies? Why?".

That was something the egghead didn't know.

"I couldn't tell you, detective. All I can tell you is this is a very nasty toxin we're dealing with here. It produces spasms of agony as it burns through the nervous system. I checked with forresics, and they told me that anyone taking this is playing Russian Roulete. When it does kill, and it will kill anyone taking it sooner rather than later, death is quick, but excruciating. To make things worse, the toxin leaves no long term residue within the body so we've no way of knowing who's died from Joy and whose snuffed it because of the normal crap out there".

Bullock sighed

"Thanks, doc" he then said "Make a report as detailed as possible, I got a feeling the the Commisoner is gonna want it ASAP".

(Line Break)

 **GCPD HQ. Gotham.**

Later that night Commissioner Gordon while standing on the roof of the police HQ passed on Bullock's findings to the Dark Knight

"Here's the situation, Batman" James Gordon said. "Someone is spread this poisonus narcotics all over town. Our men are working on it, but frankly we don't have your contacts or your freedom of action. We have suspects, but we can't question them until we have evidence and the evidence is hard to get because Joy breaks down within the human body so quickly, and what's left just looks like run of the mill cocaine".

The infamous vigilante was silent for a moment.

"Who are these suspects?" he inquired.

Gordon snorted in disgust.

"We're up to our ears in suspects" he told the Caped Crusader "A number of gangs might be doing it to hurt their competition. The same motive applies to the various mob families left in Gotham, they're always looking for a way to reclaim their power. Then of course, we have the Rogues. Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, the Ventriloquist and the Mad Hatter are all on the loose at the moment. Any one of them might have done it for some twisted reason".

And those were just the freaks they knew about. Some new whack job could be behind this.

"Don't forget the Joker" Batman cautioned.

Gordon considered the clown.

"You really think he could have organized this while locked up in Arkham?" the senior police officer wondered.

Batman nodded

"He's done it before" the Dark Knight reminded "he's orchestrated a number of murders while we thought him safely contained in Arkham. Killing people with their own drugs would appeal to his twisted sense of humour".

Gordon found that he agreed.

"I'll let you know when I have something" Batman said.

And with that, he was gone, vanished into the night.

(Line Break)

 **The Batcave. Gotham.**

Deep within the system of caverns collectively known as the Batcave, I stood before the computer and read through the profiles of the various gangs and 'families' which eked out an existence here in Gotham. Next to me Robin did the same.

"So, any idea who's behind this Joy stuff?" Robin asked

The Dark Knight shook his head, and that was werid to watch as he had his hood down and performing that gesture while his face was exposed made him seem very human. I didn't like it.

"We have to find who's doing this and soon" Batman said.

I didn't see the urgency.

"Those people were junkies" I pointed out "the same kind of people you bust every night for commiting crimes so they can feed their habit. It's hard to be sympathetic".

Batman grunted, and turned back to the monitor.

"The problem is that this whole city is full of suspects" he then said, clearly having decided to ignore my comment "Apart from the usual gang reasons, this could be some so-called honest citizen flooding the streets with a tainted narcotic in order to 'clean up the city'. The quality of the toxin suggests it was made in a high tech lab so its not something street dealers could have cooked up, and given that its killing their customers it wouldn't be profitable for them even they could produce the toxin".

I wondered if this could in some way be connected to the Venom that had been shipped into Gotham during the summer. However if it was then I was sure that Batman had already considered it.

"Then, we have the Rogues" the Dark Knight went on to say " All of the narcotics effected so far have been plant-based. Heroin comes from opium, as for coke and crack they are distilled from the leaves of the coca plant".

Robin then added some more information.

"The leaves were also one of ingrediants for the first cola soft drink" he informed.

That last part got my attention.

"Hold on crack comes from the same plant as what's used in cola?" I asked in surprise.

Batman took back control of the converastion.

"Not anymore, but when first launched, Coca-Cola's two key ingredients were cocaine and caffeine. The cocaine was derived from the coca leaf and the caffeine from kola nut, leading to the name Coca-Cola" he told me "Now the cocaine is extracted from the kola leaf and is sold for medicial use".

I was stunned for a few moments, but I was able to focus when Batman started talking again.

"Joy is cocaine for the most part so its planet based, and Poison Ivy has the expertise to make a toxin so lethal. That suggests she might be out to cull the human herd a bit" the Dark Knight was now saying "Then we have the Joker, it wouldn't be too hard to set this up from Arkham, not for him, and it'd probably strike him as funny".

Someone really ought to kill that guy.

"Don't forget Mad Hatter who is also on the lose" Robin said "Alice in Wonderland is full of passages that can be taken as drug references. I can't see why he'd do it, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have some crazy reason".

I now had another question.

"Isn't his specialty mind control?" I asked "This deadly, and practically undetectable toxin doesn't led to people being easy to order about does it?"

Batman shooked his head.

"Scarecrow certainly has the chemical knowledge to do something like this, but he lacks the motivation" Gotham Grim Guardian was now saying "The victims aren't afraid, they're either happy or dead. I think we can tentatively rule both out Scarecrow and Hatter barring further evidence. Ivy seems the most likely suspect".

I agreed that it would be wiser to go after her first and if we found out she wasn't behind this, then we could concern ourselves with Hatter and Scarecrow.

"What about Scarface and the Ventriloquist?" the Boy Wonder asked "The little wooden thug has always been a mobster, and narcotics are definitely a mob activity".

That was true, but there was no profit in killing customers, it simply wasn't good business.

"I'd thought of that" Batman said before turning to face his sidekick "Robin, I want you and Azrael to start questioning the street dealers. I'll focus on the families, they have the biggest drug ties. We'll leave the Rogues for last and go after them together".

Hearing that surprised me.

"I thought you wanted Azrael out of Gotham?" I questioned.

Batman lowered his cowl and headed for his car before answering me.

"Normally I would" he replied "but this operation is big and we've got a lot of ground to cover. Besides you've already earned a repuation with the criminals in this city, so we might as well use it".

That seemed like a sound reason, yet I couldn't help think he had other reasons for wanting me around.

"Just don't attract the attention of the police, they've got bigger things to deal with right now, but that doesn't mean that they won't reopen your case if you give them a reason too" Batman warned.

The Dark Knight was then in his car and was driving away.

"Okay lets go scare some bad guys" Robin said "and if we have time there's this pizza place I know, best in the city. You're buying".

That sounded like fun to me.

(Line Break)

 **Crime Alley. Gotham.**

Right now a certain drug dealer was really wishing he hadn't sampled his own product, if he hadn't he would be certain if what was happening to him right now was real or not.

"I seek information, mortal" the masked man holding him over the edge of a very tall building said "Know that I am Azrael, the avenging angel, and that the only thing that stays my righteous wrath is that need for information. Tell me what I wish to know, and I will be merciful."

The man, who couldn't remember his own name right now, did know that he was a dealer and in the past he'd been a pimp. So when Azrael dragged him back on to the roof the crook figured he was going to be sent to hell.

When a sword suddenly stabbed into the ground less than six inches away from the dealer's face the criminal knew that hell had come to him. This feeling was only made worse when the blade burst into flame.

"That" Azrael said to the dealer "was but a warning. I say again, sinner; I seek information. Someone has been poisoning the various narcotics that infect this city. You will tell me all that you know or next time I shall drive this blade into your heart".

The drug seller was very willing to talk. He just wasn't saying the right things.

"I don't know anything!" he screamed, as the flaming blade stabbed into the floor again, this time only three inches away "Nothing!".

Azrael's expression was hidden by a mask, but the dealer somehow knew that the avenging angel was not happy.

"I despise lies, and liars even moreso" the masked figure said "Now tell me what you know".

The crook did his best.

"I don't know who's doing it, its not our stuff!" he cried "There's new dealers in town, they're the guys you want, not me!".

The tip of the flaming blade was now slowly making its way towards the neck of the dealer.

"Is that everything you know?" Azrael questioned.

Turns out it was.

"I FUCKIN' SWEAR!" the dealer screamed as he closed his eyes "Please don't kill me".

Moments past and nothing happened, at least nothing physical.

Sometime later the dealer opened his eyes to find himself alone. He ran home, vowed to quit his current job and go to church more often.


	23. Chapter 23

**DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Part 23**

 **Crime Ally. Gotham.**

On a rooftop overlooking the alley stood Robin and I as we watched the drug dealer run away while he screamed something about getting a new job and going to church. The Sword of Sins alone had a powerful effect on people, but since I'd not stabbed the guy with the Sword of Sorrows as well I didn't think the crook would truly reform, at least not in the long term.

"So he knew nothing important" the Boy Wonder muttered.

Robin had watched me 'question' the crook so he knew already what the dealer had said, he was just thinking outloud.

"Alas" I replied "He was but a lowly sinner".

Robin was clearly not amused.

"Gothic, please drop the Avenging Angel act" he requested.

I took off my mask and lowered my hood.

"Spoil sport" I then said.

Robin ignored the remark.

"Okay next up, we'll head uptown and schedule an interview with someone dealing in that area" the smaller half of the Dynamic Due was now saying "and by schedule an interview I really mean scare the crap out of someone and make them talk".

I had guessed as much

"Tell you what I'll let you handle that one too" Robin then said "I just don't have your way with people. Your scary, upsetting way".

Before I could comment on that Batman spoke to us over the comm.

 _"Robin, Azrael"_ he said _"I've just gotten some information that might narrow your search, head to the peir, call me when you get there and I'll give you further instructions._

Once the line had closed Boy Wonder and I then activied our grapples, and together we swung away into the night.

(Line Break)

 **Batcave. Gotham**

Reaching for the keyboard, Batman brought up a report that Robin and Azrael had made on their findings at the pier just last night. They had discovered a boat unloading a cargo of premium grade cocaine from South America. After a brief battle with the crew, they had called in the GCPD to inspect the cargo. Which had turned out to be pure Joy. This had dramatically altered the importance of the case. Interpol, the FBI, and the Coast Guard were now involved, and the GCDP was under great pressure for a solution to stopping Joy from hitting the street was mounting.

Next Batman called up a different file, one containing a list of still-viable theories and routes of inquiry. The list was narrowing, as new facts rendered older theories obsolete, but he still felt no closer to a solution than he had been a week ago. He decided to look over his notes and see what ideas sparked.

 _'Theory 1: the killings are the work of rich and well connected citzens who seeks to eliminate drug users from the city.'_

That could still very well be the case, but since this theory provided him with no possible actions, other than watching and waiting, he decided to focus on something else for the time being. Bruce Wayne might know such people, but unless someone came to him to request that he help fund the operation he wasn't going to get any leds.

 _'Theory 2: Ra's Al Ghul is using Gotham to test some new scheme._

Given the Demon's Head and his genocidal plans for mankind, this was a perfectly viable hypothesis. The League Of Assasins had as it's goal nothing less than the cleansing of the world; he doubted they would balk at killing a few dozen individuals. But, at the same time, it didn't seem to fit. Why target so small a percentage of the population, when it would be just as simple to strike the city as a whole? It made no sense, and unlike most of his enemies, Ra's could be depended upon to be coldly logical. Reluctantly, he erased this from the list.

 _'Theory 3: Its one of the Rogues'_

That hadn't panned out so far; neither Poison Ivy nor the Joker had proven to be involved. Of all the Rogues, they were the ones most likely to be behind such as scheme- the random killings would appeal to the clown, as would the chance to avenge the forests appeal to Ivy. But the Joker had denied involvement, and normally the clown boasted of his crimes. Ivy had likewise proven innocent. That left Scarecrow and the Mad Hatter, and neither of them gravitated towards this sort of mass killing. The Hatter generally focused on either controlling people or reenacting Alice In Wonderland, while the Scarecrow preferred to frighten not kill. All of which meant that, unless there was someone new in town, this too was unlikely.

 _'Theory four: the source is from outside Gotham.  
_

Perhaps one of the cartels was tainting the products of another. That would explain why a ship had been found down at the peir that was full of Joy.

Still there was something that seemed wrong about that. Finding the ship seemed too covenitant somehow.

Batman decided then that it was time to see what was happening in his city. As he moved, he triggered his comm and told Robin and Azrael to meet him in Crime Alley as soon as possible. The rest of their team was off in an operation in another part of the world so the two crime fighters couldn't have anything better to do.

(Line Break)

 **Crime Ally. Gotham**

Up until a few moments ago, Batman had been as baffled by this case as I still was and I had noticed that he'd seemed unsettled by that. But now, the Dark Knight seemed to be completely in control of himself, as though he had the entire affair solved. However he had not yet explained what he had learned from his encounter with the junky he'd questioned just a few moments ago.

"Batman" Robin said "What happened? What did that guy say to you?"

I got the feeling that things would not simply be explained to us. At least not without some prodding,

"We're headed back to the Batcave to resupply" the Dark Knight told us "We have some heavy combat ahead".

I'd so called it.

"Come on boss" begged the Boy Wonder "I don't get it. What did that junkie say that was such a revelation?"

To my suprise Batman answered the question.

"He said 'he was living in fear'" the Dark Knight informed us "We've been going about this all wrong. This has never been about causing death, the killings are just a means to an end. The real goal here has been to make the survivors afraid".

It didn't take me long to put the peices together.

"So the Scarecow is behind this" I realised. "But, you'e the one who said it didn't seem like his sort of crime"

Batman shook his head ever so slightly.

"I was short-sighted" he admitted "I couldn't see the effect as I was too focused on the means. I dismissed Crane because these crime don't fit his modus operandi. I should have given it more thought, seen beneath the surface".

It was amazing to hear Batman admit he wasn't perfect.

"Now can either of you tell me how Scarecrow has been spreading terror thoughtout the city?" the Dark Knight asked.

I thought for about it for a moment.

"Its not the people who died who were afaird" I answered "Joy makes you happy, its the people who saw the deaths who got scared".

Batman gave me a slight nod of approval, which from him was like getting gushing praise from anyone else.

"And the other junkies must be scared that their next hit will kill them" Robin added "Either because they'll buy tainted drugs or because they crave Joy. Their fear will overcome their addication for a while, and their need for a fix will force them to take more drugs, and even as they do they fill be terrifed of dying".

It was very clever and far more subtle than I would have expected for one of Batman's rogues.

"Araezl what are you thinking?" Batman asked.

Robin looked at me, and then smiled.

"Yeah share with the class" the Boy Wonder urged.

I wouldn't have bothered mentioning anything had it not been clear that everyone present wanted to me express my thoughts.

"Isn't this a little low key for a super villian?" I wondered "I remember reading that Crane studies fear, and while the drug must be keeping a lot of people awake at night, its not causing roits or anything like that. And if he studies fear then won't we want to see the effect of Joy has on the junkies?".

Robin took over at this point.

"That's right he would" the Boy Wonder agreed "Which means he might have taken a few users to where ever it is he's hiding out now".

Again Batman gave us a small nod of approval.

"As I said before I went about this wrong" the Dark Knight went on to say "I had you looking for the source when you should have been checking into the victuims. I suspect the tip off about the boat, which did come from South America, was meant to get us looking outside of Gotham while the drugs were being produced in the city. And since he had enough to spare for a decoy I suspect that he has a stockpile somewhere and will soon be flooding the streets with enough Joy to kill hundreds if not thousands".

I could see the larger picture now.

"Even people who aren't real junkies will be effected" I reason "People at parties will die just from trying something knew, maybe some kids and that will freak out the parents, and they will demand something be done".

Robin again had something to add.

"We might even get people going after the drug dealers blaming them for all the deaths" the Boy Wonder said "That could led to a lot of other problems".

Batman seemed very pleased by our deductions, but it was hard to tell since he didn't smile.

"We are going back to the cave" he stated "We have to find Crane and be ready to take him down".

Robin and I followed the Dark Knight without question.

(Line Break)

 **Warehouse. Gotham**

Once back at the Batcave, we all took the time to restock our utility belts, and then Batman briefed us on what the Scarecrow had been doing for the last few months. There was little to tell. Crane appeared to be keeping his nose clean. He hadn't hired any muscle, nor purchased any of the chemicals used to create his trademark fear toxin. All he had done was go to a few bars and walk around the docks and railyards, which was all perfectly legal

Upon further digging Robin had found that Crane had taken ownership of a warehouse a few weeks ago, and such properties weren't cheap so that meant Scarecrow might be in business would someone else, someone who wanted to cause chaos in Gotham.

So that led to Batman, Robin and I waiting on the roof of a large dockside warehouse. This was the heart of his operation, yet there were no sign of any hired thugs patrolling the building. Nor were there any obvious traps or alarms.

"You both have your rebreathers?" the Dark Knight asked.

The Boy Wonder and I both nodded and held up the small devices. The rebreathers were a technology created by Wayne Industries. The public models had been made for people who worked around chemicals that produced dangerous fumes, the models we had were lighter, sleeker and jet black. They were cool, and what me happy was that I got keep mine.

There was a downside, in order to wear the rebreather I had to remove my mask, which dulled my senses, and explosed my face, but since the rebreather would cover my mouth and because I wore a hood my apprence should be somewhat hidden.

"I want you to put them on now" the Caped Crusader ordered "Crane doesn't seem to be using conventional security, that means less combat than I expected, but it also means that he won't hesitate to douse the area in his fear gas the moment he becomes aware of our presence".

Wearing the rebreather wise as while the fear gas couldn't kill me, I had no idea if my immortality gave me immunity to toxins. I might become resistant very quickly if exposed, but that wouldn't help me on this mission.

"Thanks to Robin we have a blueprint of the warehouse" the Dark Knight went on to say "But Scarecrow will have modfied the warehouse when setting up his lab, so we don't know where Crane will be hiding. Speed and stealth are our priorities. Once we're in, maintain radio slience, keep moving and stay close to me".

Despite the possible danger I was loving every second of this. I was on mission to stop a super villian along with the Dynmaic Due, there were comic books nerds out there who would kill to be where I was right now.

"Ready?" Batman asked.

I nodded and since I could see Robin I saw him signal as well.

"Let's go" the Dark Knight said.

Silently, Batman picked the lock on one of the windows and leapt down to the ground. Robin and I followed immediately thereafter, and we crimefighters landed silently. Then we began to move through the dark building. From what little I could see the warehouse was filled with large shipping crates. All of which could be filled with the deadly Joy.

Next we silently made our way up some stairs. Batman was in the lead, with Robin following a few feet behind him while I brought up the rear. When we reached the top of the stairs we were in the right place to chek out the whole of the warehouse.

Now I could see a large room were every surface was covered in laboratory equipment. Strange chemicals bubbled over bunsen burners, and powders were being sorted by machines.

One whole wall was covered by a large blackboard, on which were written names and dates though what it meant was unknown to me, but I knew that it was important.

In one corner, the Scarecrow, who was in full costume, poured a clear liquid into a beaker. Clearly evil science was happening here.

Crane wasn't alone, there were some people in lab coats with him, and they seemed to know what they were doing so they couldn't the normal thugs for hire most super villians surrounded themselves with.

Robin then tapped me in the shoulder, he pointed at me and then at two men who were packing something into a crate, he followed that up by miming punching. That made it clear, I was take them down.

All three of us moved at, and while I took down my targets in seconds it was more than enough time for the self-proclaimed master of fear to produce a gas grenade from somewhere inside his costume.

The grenade burst opening filling the warehouse with what I was sure must have been fear gas, but that only aided us aswhile Crane was immune to his own invention his underlings weren't, and us heroes wore rebreather so we weren't effected at all.

I then watched as Batman grabbed his enemy, and quickly had him in a pair of Batcuffs.

"It's over, Crane" the Dark Knight declared "Your murder spree ends now".

The Scarecrow snorted.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

Batman was now angry.

"You are responsible for the deaths of more than twenty people" the Caped Crusader accused.

Scarcrow didn't seem concerened.

"I am" Crane admitted "It was an experiment, not one of my greatest, but it was still thrilling reserch".

Despite his mask I just knew the Scarecrow was smiling.

"You see I conceived of the experiment during my last stay in Arkham" Crane was now saying "One of the patients went into severe withdraw, just what drug he'd been taking I do not know, but his inability to aquire more drove him... well not crazy persay, but it had a profound effect".

Having witnessed someone go through withdrawl I knew exactly what the super crook was talking about.

"Not even the threat of punishment or electroshock therapy could silence his demands for more" Scarecrow went on to say "I was intrigued by this, the power of his addiction seemed greater than the power of fear. I desired to see whether this was true of most people. To this end…"

Batman interrupted

"You poisoned the drugs coming into Gotham and even produced your own tainted cocaine" the Dark Knight said.

Again the supervillian made no attempt to hide his crimes.

"Among other things, yes" he said "The experiment called for a gradual increase in the percentage of narcotics tainted, raising the odds against the addicts, and studying to see if demand fell off".

Evil science indeed.

"My findings were quite astonishing" Crane then told us "People died horribly, but demand remained relatively stable. Although the experiment has been interrupted before it be completed, it does seem as though addiction is a more powerful force than fear".

I couldn't argue with that.

"That wasn't all you did, was it?" Robin demanded to know.

Crane nodded.

"I also took addicts off the streets, and withheld their drugs of choice" he informed us "Then I made them an offer: Accept a dose of my fear toxin, and I would give them a dose of what they needed. It was astonishing, nearly to a man, they all accepted. Even when they saw their compatriots die screaming due to the Joy, eventually they almost all agreed to the toxin".

Very evil science indeed.

"How did you spread the Joy around so easily?" Batman wanted to know.

Again Crane held nothing back.

"It was quite simple really" he explained "I met the right people in Arkham and they were able to tell me everything I needed to know. A few bribes were all it took, and I hired a few enterprising young people to help spread my product".

That must been expensive. All that convincing, plus the cost of chemicals, plus the cost of the warehouse. I wondered if someone was backing him.

"Oh and by my estimation, I have killed many more than the twenty people" Crane said "Many, many more".

Batman hit him, very hard.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

Not long after helping Batman take down Scarecrow, albeit in a very minor way, I had made my way back to Mount Justice and to my bedroom. After having sex with Colette I was lying in bed with her thinking about things.

"So while most of us were wandering around a desert with no memories you and Robin were off crime fighting in Gotham" Colette summerised once I finished telling her about I'd been up to over the last couple of days "I think you had more fun that I did".

That was most likely true.

"I'll make it up to you" I promised my girlfriend "If nothing comes up by tomorrow afternoon I'll take you out for dinner and we can go see a movie or whatever you want".

Having a lot of money sure made keeping a woman happy a lot easier. Colette loved being spoilt by me, and as pleasant as that was to think about I my mind kept returning to the nagging suspision that the Scarecrow had been funded by someone else. However I found myself too tired to worry much so I decided to go to sleep and to think about it more later.


	24. Chapter 24

**DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Part 24**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

Since I'd spent the last couple of week with Batman while learning to be a dective as well as crime fighter I'd missed out on a few things.

I'd gone to South America with him to shut down a drug smuggling ring that we'd learned about thanks to Scarecrow making a deal that allowed him to study addiction in a harmless way while remaining in Arkham. Because of that I had not been here when a couple of robots had attacked our base, and nearly killed most of the team.

"Yeah, what we want are answers," Robin said to his mentor "About Red Tornado and his siblings".

As did I, mostly because I didn't understand what had happened.

"Yeah" Wally added "Tell us what's going on".

Suddenly, Conner was across the room and was for some reason grapping Aqualad by the straps of his shirt.

You knew?" he shouted at Aqualad "That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'Gann".

Megan was not happy about what was now happening.

"Conner, what are you doing?" she called out.

I was now very confused.

"Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us and he said nothing" Conner explained.

Now I was even more confused.

"You knew?" Robin asked our leader.

He seemed very hurt.

"And you didn't tell us?" Wally continued.

Water boy once let down to the ground answered the questions.

"I sought to protect The Team from.." Kaldur began to say.

He was interrupted by Artemis.

"Protect us from what, knowledge that might've saved our lives?" she asked.

Conner turned to M'Gann.

"You almost died" he reminded her.

The more I heard the more lost I became, I was about to request some information, but Batman spoke before I could.

"Enough" the Dark Knight said "With Red Tornado…missing, The Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors. Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."

As he spoke, Captain Marvel stepped forward.

"I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys" he said.

The choice of our new supervisor did not sit well with me. It was offensive to have a child watching over young adults, but I didn't speak on the subject because that would risk people finding the Captain's secert idenity.

"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League. That makes him a League responsibility. You WILL leave it to us" Batman stated.

He turned around and a holographic screen came up, showing the front page of the Daily Planet.

"I have another assignment for this team" he then said.

Aftering reading the headline I had to speak.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I wished to know.

At this point most of the team were sniggering.

"I never joke" replied Batman

Or fell for jokes I assumed.

"He has no sense of humour" Robin confirmed.

That remark was ignored.

"I never joke and this isn't funny" Batman continued "I've checked the sources. I've studied the patterns and this encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents".

The Dark Knight then turned to our leader.

"Aqualad,you and your team will depart for India. I will provide more details once you are on route".

With that we headed for the bioship

(Line Break)

 **Jungle. India.**

Not long after our trip (which hadn't been a fun one for me as I now understand why everyone was so mad at Aqualad) we'd left the bioship and entered the jungle. This was suppose to be the source of the strange animals who had been causing so much trouble, and while we weren't sure what we might find, we expected there would be a lab or something hidden around here.

Once we were on the ground we broke into three smaller groups, and remained in contact over comms since the telepathic network was something I couldn't join in with. I went with Robin and Kid Flash as that was what Aqualad had told me to do.

It was confirmed that we were in the right place when a trio of vultures dived at my group, we managed to dodge the birds, but the flying pests didn't give up easily.

"I thought vultures only ate DEAD meat!" Robin shouted.

With my gun I fired a stun shot at one of the birds while also listening to everyone yelling.

"Yeah, these are some very proactive scavengers!" Wally called out.

We were now running and throwing things at the birds.

"Proactive and super-sized," Robin then shouted "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I had no idea what they were talking about.

"Cobra Venom?" Wally asked.

Once the birds were dealt with the trio I was part of got moving, and people started chatting over the comm system.

 _'Should he really still be giving us orders, and should we really be following them?'_ Artemis asked over the radio.

I assumed I'd missed something said mentally, but it wasn't hard to guess what the topic of the talk was.

 _'Listen, please'_ Kaldur said.

Rather than join in I focused on looking for the lab that had to contain the evil science behind these dangerous animals.

 _'Hey Kaldur'_ Robin said _"KF, Azrael and I were attacked by giant vultures, but since we're MOLES, you probably think we attacked ourselves'._

I spent a moment wondering if Batman would still support me with cool toys if I decided to take Colette and form a dynamic duo of my own in some city that didn't have any heroes of its own.

 _'If he did, he wouldn't tell you'_ archer girl said.

There was a pause and I hoped everyone was now focusing on the mission.

 _'What gets me is how nonchalant he is about not telling us'_ Wally said.

Apprantly I'd been wrong.

"Would everyone just shut up" I demanded "Some of us are trying to do the work here, and its hard to focus with you lot acting like kids".

No one replied right away so I decided to nip this whole thing in the bud before it destroyed the team.

"If I'd been told there was a mole on the Team I sure as hell wouldn't tell you guys because it would do exactly what it's doing to us now" I was now saying It's tearing us apart. We are a TEAM, for fuck's sake! It is high time we started acting like one!"

This time someone did reply.

"I have just discovered that Captain Marvel has been captured. We MUST save him. When the mission is over, if you wish to select a new leader, I will happily step down, but until that time, I AM in command here" Water boy said

Someone or perhaps several someones made a little noise, but nothing was said and we all got on with the mission.

(Line Break)

 **Jungle. India.**

Once we found the place we'd been looking for and had regrouped we stuided its defences. Robin was scanning the force field barrier. Wally was looking around with his infrared goggles and everyone else was just keeping an eye out, or thinking of what to do next.

Also for some reason Super Boy now had a wolf with him. As for me I was forumlating my third plan of how to break into what I assumed was a lab.

'I'll fly ...' Megan suggested.

She was cut off right away.

"You can't" Wally told her "The field extends like a dome over the whole compound".

I figured this was a good time to speak.

"Maybe you could dig under it" I said to Flash "You're fast enough to do that without being seen right?".

He never got a chance to answer as we came under attack by monkeys, not an odd thing for us and at least this time they weren't robots.

"Damn it, I hate monkeys!" I heard Super Boy say as he threw the annoying animals into the air.

One jumped on Power's back and I grabbed it. Without meaning to I broke the collar it was wearing which caused the creature to run away.

"Remove their collars" I told the others.

Which was easier said than done.

(Line Break)

 **Jungle. India.**

Since the bad guys clearly knew we were here there was no point trying to sneak in so we just blasted our way inside. Soon after doing that we found Captain Marvel strapped to a table, a tiger laying on the ground, and The Brain.

"It's The Brain!" Robin called out.

Sadly there was no Pinky. There was however a gorlia.

"In the flesh, so to speak," The Brain said.

Since it was a brain in a robot body of some sort I really didn't have any ideas on how to take this bad guy down.

"Mallah," it said to the ape.

The ape pressed a button on a control device and six rods came up from the ground, circling us. The pulse the device emitted made everyone within the circle fall down, but we did not lose consciousness. Although I was wishing I had.

M'Gann then levitated the control device over to above her head and used her mind powers to deactivate the pulse rods. As everyone was getting up the wolf pounced on Mallah, as the ape was called, knocking him down.

Mallah got up and knocked the canine aside before opening fire with a fancy looking gun. Thankfully the only person he actually hit was Superboy, and he was only pushed him back a bit.

I threw an Angel Wing at the damn dirty ape, but missed. Robin how didn't and he was able to disable the massive weapon. Mallah let out a huge roar and then dropped the usless gun.

Next Conner punched the ape so hard that when Mallah hit the wall he left a huge dent in it, and animal didn't get up again.

"I hate monkeys," Superboy said while cracking his knuckles.

The Brain then did something which caused me to think he was about to transform into some sort of mecha able to do battle. However I soon came to the conclusion that he was simply going to blast us.

"Au revoir, mes amis," he said.

I raised a magical shield around everyone and the lights went out. When they came back on, Mallah and The Brain were both gone.

"What the fuck!" I swore.

(Line Break)

 **Jungle. India.**

The walk back to the bio-ship was quiet until Artemis asked Wally something.

"What are you grinning about?" she inquired.

Kid Flash seemed very pleased with himself for some reason.

"One word: Souvenir," he replied

He put on Mallah's beret, and I thought it suited him.

"Two words: Gorilla Lice," newbie said.

That ruined it for Kid Flash.

"Wha – OH, MAN!" he shouted,

He pulled off the hat and then held it away from his body as if some dead thing, and while this was amusing I found my attention being diverted to what was going on in front of the bioship.

"That's the last of the collars?" Captain Marvel said to the tiger.

It growled in reply.

"And I can count on you to keep the other animals out of trouble?"

It growled again.

"Good, I'll be back for visit; promise," he said.

The tiger bounded away and I noticed then that the wolf was waiting for us at the ramp of the bioship and that Superboy was petting the wolf's neck.

"The rest of the pack is gone. What are you still doing here?" Conner asked the canine.

It was odd that the wild beast was here.

"I think he wants to stay with you," M'Gann answered.

Conner looked at us with pleading eyes.

"Can I keep him?" he asked.

Wally laughed.

"First, the sphere and now, this beast; dude, you sure make a habit of collecting strays," he commented.

The sphere was something else I needed to ask about.

"Well, he's gonna need a name. How's about Krypto?" Wally suggested.

Even the wolf disagreed with that by growling.

"No" Superboy said.

I was thinking White Fang, but Conner decided on Wolf before I could offer my suggestion.

With that mattered settled it was time to discuss Aqualad and if he should remain our leader.

"I gotta ask: why did you keep the mole Intel a secret?" Robin asked,

Everyone eagerly awaited an answer.

"The source of the tip was Sportsmaster," Aqualad told us.

This was suprising news.

"What?" Artemis exclaimed. "You can't trust HIM!"

That summerised the group's opinion.

"I do not" Aqualad assured us "It seemed possible, even likely, that he was attempting to divide The Team with false information".

That could be the case.

"And given how this mission went, it looks like he nearly succeeded," Robin stated "But you considered that it might be true".

Aqualad nodded.

"On the slim chance that there is a mole I did not wish to alert the traitor," Water Boy said "I beilived that exposing him or her would endanger the team".

To me that seemed logical.

"I am still prepared to step down," Aqualad said.

Somehow I didn't think that was going to happen.

"All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader," Wally called out.

Everyone raised their hand other than me and that me some curous looks.

"Do you wish to led?" water boy inquired.

I shook my head.

"Truth be told, I've been thinking about going solo" I told the team "Don't worry I'm not just going to leave without warning, but its tempting to go find out what I can do all by myself".

No one supported that idea and Colette was frowning at me.

"You're the spellcaster of the team" argued Robin "We might need your magic on our missions".

More people expressed their opinons, but it was the Boy Wonder who had supplied the best reason for me to stay.

"I guess" I said "but if someone with better spells than me joins the team I will be surplas to requirment".

Captain Marvel then began to walk off.

"See you tomorrow," he said while waving.

We watched Captain Marvel fly away and then we all boarded the bioship so we could head for home.

(Line Break)

 **Somewhere In North America.**

A sphere crashed landed in a forest creating a crater. The door opened, and alien female with purple glowing eyes climbed out of the wreakage. It was too dark to see any of her features, until she used her powers to make her hands glow. Once she had done that anyone watching would have seen that had dark hair, extoic looking skin, and odd yet sexy clothes.

"Time to find Hero-Boy" she said.


	25. Chapter 25

**DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Part 25**

 **Bar. Gotham.**

I noticed her right away, she didn't stand out in the crowd due to being a colourful character, it was because she had such an air of confidence. When our eyes met she walked up to me with a sort of brazen bravado that I could admire, this was a woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it.

"You look like you could use a drink" she said.

It was clear that she wanted to pick me up, and I wasn't used to being the one hit on, at least not like this. I was unsure about how to handle this situation. Normally it was the man who brought the drink not the other way around.

The woman was attractive, she had dark hair, dark eyes, good sized breasts, and she wore clothes suited to a business woman, if I was any judge they were very expensive clothes, Also she had a nearly empty glass of some spirit in her hand, but she wasn't drunk.

"Yeah" was all I was able to say in reply.

The woman ordered something, and when I got the drink I found that it was smooth whisky, most likely old and costly.

"Can't say I am not grateful," I said "but my mother taught me not to accept gifts from strangers".

She took a small sip of her drink, and she kept her eyes on me while doing so.

"Well we're are not strangers" she reminded me.

True, we had met once before, her name was Talia al Ghul.

"Gotta say, you are pretty brave" I said.

Those words got me a small reaction, she frowned just a little.

"And why is that?" she asked.

Mostly it was because I was now a lone wolf. I'd left the Team due to Blackfire suddenly showing up and wrecking everything. Not that it was her fault really I'd willing cheated on Colette and when she'd found out Power had not been happy. I'd had to leave, now I had no where to go and nothing to do.

Since I now had no team I had no rules to follow and no commitments to anyone I could pretty much do whatever I wanted. For example I could open up a Boom Tube and dump Miss Demon's Head in a very unpleasant place.

"For all you know I could be some creepy sex offender" I replied "or an alcoholic with a history of abusing women".

Which I wasn't and I figured she knew exactly who I was.

"I'm a big girl" she said "I can protect myself".

Of that I didn't doubt.

"So what brings you to Gotham?" I enquired.

Talia finished her drink and ordered another.

"Well, if you must know I am in town on business" she told me "I like to mix business with pleasure".

That made me wonder something.

"Which one am I?" was the question that I asked.

Normally I'd be worried about the League of Shadows showing any interest in me, however I no longer cared. I'd done a bad thing, and now I was paying the price. Anything else that happened to me didn't seem important right now.

"A little of both" Talia told me.

I noticed then how good she smelt.

"What do you say we get a ride out of here and head back to my hotel?" she then asked "I booked a penthouse suite".

I thought it over for a few moments.

"Sure" I replied.

It wasn't like I had anything better to do, or anyone.

(Line Break)

Hotel. Gotham.

The following morning I was staring up at the celling while wondering why the hell I'd agreed to go anywhere with Talia al Ghul.  
She was a great lay, I would give her that. We'd only managed to catch three hours of sleep, but she had have some kind of agenda, and that might not work out well for me.

Still had no place to be at the moment so I decided to hang around her hotel room for little longer if only to find out what she had planned. I knew Talia was in town on business, and judging by the hotel we were staying at she wasn't afraid to spend a lot of her father's money on her own pleasures.

"Where did you say this meeting was?" I asked.

Currently Talia was in the bathroom applying make up, and she was now dressed in another expensive business suit.

"I doubt you would be able to help me on anything that I am about to do" she told me "So I won't bore you with the details".

She came out of the bathroom and slipped on her high heels, and I saw that she had put her hair up onto tight into a bun.

"If you must know I will be trying to schmooze a room full of balding, old, stubborn men" she informed me.

She was either trying to deflect my attention or enhance it, and I had no idea which it was.

"But you might be able to help me with something I have to do later" she went on to say "It will be very formal so I will understand if you do not wish to go, but I would like to not go alone".

She then leaned over the bed and ran a hand down my bare chest.

"And I have a thing for men in suits" she then added "Something dark if you don't mind".

I could rent something.

"As you wish" I said.

Talia al Ghul smiled seductively and walked towards the door, grabbing her black blazer and briefcase on the way. She then turned back to look at me.

"Meet me at the front of the hotel at six pm" she ordered.

She left before I could reply, and seconds after she did I heard a beeping noise coming from my jacket. I looked inside and found my comm device, which I then placed in my ear.

"Hello" I greeted.

I could imagine at least a dozen people who would call me in order to shout at me, or to more softly express their disappointment, but the voice on the other end did none of those things.

"Azrael its Red Arrow" the voice replied.

Given that I kinda loathed Roy Harper it was a surprise that he was calling me.

"What do you want, Speedy?" I asked,

Again I was surprised when my use of his old name didn't led to him being mad at me.

"I heard about what happened" the solo hero said "and I was wondering what you planned to do next?".

Tempting as it was to hang up, I found that now I did feel the need to talk to someone about what the future held.

"I have no idea" I admitted.

Red Arrow didn't speak for a few moments. I figured that he was giving me time to collect my thoughts, and when I didn't say anything for a while he did.

"Have you ever considered forming your own team?" he asked me.

I had pondered the idea of being a lone wolf or even partnering with Power Girl and then going off to do my own thing. Now that Roy had suggested forming a team I found it tempting.

"Maybe" I replied "Why are you forming one?".

Again Red Arrow paused for a while.

"No" he then said "I think you should form a team and let me join".

For the third time in a very short while I was shocked.

"Aren't you a solo act these days?" I asked as I started to get dressed "Why the sudden urge to make friends?".

Roy had to be forcing himself to remain calm, that was most likely way he kept going silent for small periods of time.

"There are things I can do on my own, and things I can't" he told me "I need resources. Money".

Now things were starting to make sense. Roy was used to having the support of his mentor, Green Arrow who was really Oliver Queen, a very wealthy man.

"Just think about it" Speedy urged "Batman thinks you have potential. You have the resources, skills and more allies than you might think".

Internally I had to admit that he might have a point

"That alien Blackfire might be handy, is she still on the planet?" Roy then asked me.

I nodded and then realised that I had to verbally reply. I really hadn't fully woken up yet. I needed coffee.

"Yeah she needed a place to hide" I answered "So I stashed her somewhere off the grid".

The Monastery of the Order of Dumars wasn't in use anymore, and while it was hardly a palace fit for an alien princess it was somewhat comfortable.

"I think I know where you put her" Red Arrow said "You stay with Talia al Ghul, find out what she wants and then met me at the monastery. We can talk more later".

He hung up before I could ask how he knew about the monastery, or about how he knew who I was spending time with.

(Line Break)

Hotel. Gotham.

At six pm I stood outside the hotel now dressed in a rented tux, and I waited for my date. When a limo pulled up outside the hotel it took me a while to figure out that it was waiting for me.

When I got inside the transport I saw that Talia was dressed in a little black dress that would no doubt have an effect on men everywhere and that she had her hair held up with wavy tresses.

"Well I feel a bit under-dressed" I commented.

That made Talia smirk.

"You do look like you are out of your element" she said.

Which was putting it kindly.

"We are going to a formal fundraiser " my date informed me once the limo was moving "I understand that you don't trust me, but just hear me out. I hate going to these things, especially by myself. So please stay with me".

I couldn't imagine that she had problems finding young men to escort her to social events.

"Sorry I just have no idea how high society people party" I replied "I'm worried I'll make a fool of myself".

What bothered me was that I was pretty sure that I heading to a Bruce Wayne event, and if so I was going to have to talk to Batman at some point during the evening.

"Please don't" she requested "I have a many deals in the works here in Gotham, if you embarrasses me tonight it may cost me a small fortune tomorrow".

I hadn't considered that she was actually doing this for herself. I figured her business was for the League of Shadows.

"And here I thought you were working for your father" I remarked.

Me saying that made her frown.

"Don't you believe a woman can run a company?" she asked "I will have to punish you later".

Before I was able to comment on that the limo stopped and I saw the media crowding around the entrance of Wayne Towers.

"Get out of the car first and take my hand when I get out" Talia instructed "Smile for the cameras and then take my arm. Your task is to look handsome and not to talk".

Last night she'd picked me up in a bar and now I was arm candy, she was so the man in this relationship.

(Line Break)

Fundraiser. Gotham.

Bruce Wayne spotted us almost immediately, but acted as if he was meeting me for the first time, he was so formal. I went along with it while knowing that later he chew me out, and possible have someone else drag me back to Mount Justice, which would just be horrible.

After formalities and introductions to his fundraiser, which was for some children's charity, he then spoke to Talia and ignored me.

"I was hoping I would see you tonight" he said to my date "If you have some time there is a little bit of business that I'd like to discuss that wasn't covered at the meeting earlier today"

Talia seemed amused.

"Are you sure we missed something?" she asked "Your board insisted that we go over ever minor detail of the contract".

Bruce Wayne gave her a charming smile.

"I do apologise for that, the board is a group of people who are very set in their ways" he replied "but I heard you loud and clear, and I have to say I am very interested in what your company can do for me".

That wasn't his only interest I was sure.

"If you find yourself with a few moments I'd be happy to discuss things" Talia told him.

Bruce Wayne excused himself when he noticed new guests, and while I tried to see who he was now talking to a waiter came over and handed me glass of champagne. In that moment I lost track of him, as he had vanished into the crowd.

"I hate when people do that" I muttered.

It was hard to tell but I could have sworn I heard Talia snort in a very unlady like manner.

"Let's get some air" she then said.

We were soon on a balcony that overlooked Gotham. Bruce Wayne had his parties on the top floor so it was quite a view.

"Do you know Bruce well?" she asked me as we both leaned against the railing facing the cityscape "You clearly know he is Batman, I wonder what else you know, Azrael".

Until now she'd never actually come out and admitted that she knew who I really was, and her frankness startled me. In fact it left me speechless.

(Line Break)

Hotel. Gotham.

"That's an interesting way of punishing someone" I said once Talia had finally finished "I think I enjoyed it".

My date smiled at me, and I wasn't sure what that meant. She seemed to have enjoyed riding me to orgasm with deliberate slowness, dragging the whole thing out so that I was close to a climax but never quite getting there. She'd done something similar last night only it had been more pleasurable for me as she hadn't drawn things out for so long, rather she'd let me finish and then gotten me aroused again.

"Now we can talk business" Talia said while she got up and make herself something strong to drink "I have something to offer you".

It wasn't easy to listen to a naked woman talk, because they are naked, yet somehow I was able to focus.

"What's that?" I asked.

Talia sat down and crossed her legs so that I didn't get to stare at all the fun parts of her body.

"Now that you've left your friends have you considered what you will do next?" she asked.

That was a popular question today.

"I was thinking about forming my own team" I mentioned.

Talia's face was partly hidden due it being somewhat dark, but I could tell that she pleased to hear that.

"I'm a well connected woman" she went on to say "If you would be willing to perform a few tasks for me I'd be willing to offer you funding, information and special equipment in return".

That was tempting, but before accepted I needed to find out more.

"What sort of tasks?" I asked.

Talia uncrossed her legs for a moment and then crossed them again before he spoke any further. Clearly she was using her body to distract me from thinking too much.

"Nothing that would harm innocents" she said "and you won't be required to steal anything either. I might need you sabotage the crimes of others that is all".

That sounded reasonable, which of course made me cautious .

"And I'll want to borrow you from time to time" she went on to say "as an escort and perhaps even a bodyguard".

I was agreeable with the second part it was just the first part that had me concerned. Sure I was suppose to stop crimes, but not if it led to someone else's crime being successful.

Plus there was that whole deal with the devil issue. Making an agreement with Talia al Ghul would be something that came along a bit me in the ass one day, but on the other hand there was merit to taking this deal as getting closer to her might help me figure out what the hell was going on around here.

"Okay" I said "but if you betray me I'll make you regret it".  
That amused her I could tell because as she stood up and walked over to me I could see a look of humour on her face.

"Are you ready for more?" she asked me as she got under the cover "Younger men have such stamina".

I wasn't, but I figured that pretty soon I would be as Talia knew just how to touch a guy in order to make him stand to attention.


	26. Chapter 26

**DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Part 26**

 **Wayne Enterprises. Gotham.**

Despite everything that was happening, and had happened. I couldn't help feeling a little giddy as I moved through the crowded lobby of the Wayne Enterprises building. Visiting the Daily Planet would have been cooler, however this was still pretty awesome.

As to why I was here, that was because Bruce Wayne had requested my presence here at his office. Which intrigued me because if he'd wanted to talk to me as Batman he could have asked me to come his cave or more likely he would have come to the monastery I was currently using as a home.

At the home of the Order of St. Dumas I was currently putting together my own crime fighting team, which for now was just Red Arrow, Blackfire and myself. I was hoping to recruit the Huntress soon, but since she had kicked me out of her apartment after telling me never to return I wasn't just going knock on her front door and nicely ask that she join up.

Before heading to the desk I took another moment to soak in my surroundings, then I turned to the left to see the security guard sitting patiently behind a wooden desk that had plenty of computer monitors sat on top of one another.

While approaching the security desk, I straightened my tie and once I was close enough to be heard I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me, sir," I said politely to the security guard "I have an appointment with Mr. Wayne. Could you please notify him that James ****** is here to see him".

Using my real name was so strange after being Gothic and Azrael for so long.

The security guard muttered as he ran his finger down the notebook that was covered with names and I found myself remembering how dull civilian life was.

For the last year and some months even Gothic had been little more than an alter-ego, just something for people to call me when I wasn't wearing the costume of Azrael. I was far from a normal person these days.

Pressing a button on his desk, the security guard leaned down next to a microphone and spoke.

"Mr. Wayne, there's a James ******* to see you" the guard said.

A reply came quickly.

"Excellent. Please send him up".

Bruce Wayne's voice was always so pleasant and friendly, a stark contrast to the voice of Batman, which was gruff and about as warm as Mr Freeze's balls

"Just go up that elevator over there" the guard instructed "Mr Wayne's office is on the top floor, you can't miss it".

Once out of the lift I found that the guard had been right. There was large waiting area on the top floor and a set of double doors that led to Bruce Wayne's office

"Hello, sir" the secretary greeted "Please take a seat. Mr Wayne will be right with you. He's just finishing up with Miss Vale".

I wondered if it was Vicky Vale in the office with Bruce Wayne, she was a reporter and pretty much Gotham's version of Lois Lane. I'd seen her on news.

My suspicion was confused when the door opened and an attractive blond woman walked out.

"I still think it was a little too convenient that you get attacked by a well-known psychopath just as you started talking about how you're going to clean up the city, but at least I can rest easy knowing that it wasn't staged," the reporter said "When I talk about this on tonight's news, you better believe I won't be pulling any punches. I'll be saying everything you told me today...and I mean everything!"

She was a spitfire alright. Just like Lois Lane.

"That's the way I'd like it," Bruce Wayne replied as he walked Miss Vale to the lift "If I'm going to be the mayor of this city, I need the people of Gotham to believe in every word I say. There's no room for censorship with the city's future at stake".

I'd heard about him running for mayor, but until now it had been only been speculation in the papers. Now that it was fact I found the idea very funny.

"James please follow me" Bruce Wayne then requested.

When we inside his office, and the doors were closed I knew it was Batman I was now talking to. Gone was Bruce's smile, and his body language had changed too.

"Something strike you as funny?" the Dark Knight as he took a seat behind his desk.

I sat down before answering.

"Oh I just found it amusing that your preaching about honesty with the citizens of Gothic, yet you continue to hide your true self from the world" I explained.

Batman was not amused. Not that he ever was.

"Nothing I have said during my campaign has been untruthful" Batman said solemnly as he folded his hands and placed them on his massive desk "I have meant every word I've spoken in my interviews and conferences, and I will continue to give the people of Gotham the brutal truth about the state of this city".

To be fair he wasn't really lying, not unless Vicky Vale had asked him if he was the Batman during the interview that just ended.

"I assume you invited me for a good reason" I then said "You could have just dropped by or asked me to come by your home".

By home I meant the Batcave not Wayne Manor.

"Yes" Batman replied "First of all I wanted to tell you what you already most likely know. You haven't been removed from the team, at least not officially, but I wouldn't go back any time soon. Colette will need time to heal, and the others aren't exactly feeling friendly towards you right now".

No surprises there.

"Also I wanted to ask about Talia" Batman went on to say "What did she want from you".

Truthfully I didn't know I could only tell him what she had offered me.

"She's willing to supply me with funding and information for my solo career in exchange for doing a few jobs for her in the future" I told him "She assured me that it wouldn't involve me killing anyone, and I believe her".

The Dark Knight stood up and spent a moment looking out of the window.

"Talia has spent the last six months successfully running her own businesses" he said "She seems to have put some distance between herself and her father. I don't know why, but Ra's al Ghul is up to something and I think he doesn't want his daughter involved".

I had the feeling that big players were making moves on a chess board, and that I was pawn. I couldn't see the game or the players, or even all of the other pieces. It was all connected, CADMUS, The League of Shadows, Lex Luther playing peace maker, The Brain experiments, Korba's Venom shipments. I just didn't know how, and what was scary about that was that I didn't think Batman knew either.

"About that" the Caped Crusader was now saying "Will you be going solo or forming your own team?. I understand that Blackfire and Red Arrow are both staying with you".

I really needed to work on the warding magic my counterparts had given me a book about. It would make it much harder for people to keep track of what was going on in my life.

"Yeah Speedy thinks I should form a team, and he wants in" I informed the Batman "He claims he wants access to more resources. I guess for whatever it is he's looking into. I think he's not tell me everything, but then who is?".

Looking back it seemed that being on a covert super human team had actually been the simple life.

"As for Blackfire I don't have a clue what she wants" I then added

Other than sex that is, which she was now getting it from Roy and that had upset me a little at first, now I was just happy that the princess was paying attention to someone else.

"Form the team" Batman ordered "and do whatever Talia wants you to do as long as doesn't involve killing anyone. Red Arrow's been nominated to join the League, but until he can prove he can work as part of a group he won't be granted membership".

Since I was going to do that anyway I acted as if I was following his orders.

"Sure thing" I said.

Batman then came and sat down at this desk, and I noticed that it was very organised. In fact his whole office was very efficient looking.

"I'll allow a lot of freedom for you and the others to pursue cases in your own unique manner" Gotham Grim Guardian then said "In return, all I ask is that you give me the same trust".

So now I was working for Batman once again, just in a different way, and I didn't mind as he paid very well and gave me access to fun toys like my Angel Wings and a collapsible staff.

"In exchange for doing a few jobs for me I'll also fund your entire group and make sure you're well supplied. That means tools, information and even backup if it can be arranged" the Dark Knight said "Also I might ask you alone to do some things for me. You've shown promise, and while you have poor judgement when it comes to woman, you're not such a bad detective. I might need your help, and that not something to be taken lightly".

That was very odd to hear, not only because he'd praised me, but because he'd admitted to ever needing help. Although it was smart of him to arrange it as even he would have a hard time being both a crime fighter, a member of the League and mayor of a major city.

"How are you going to..." I started to say.

I had been about so say: be Batman, but that was a stupid thing to say as he was still Batman right now.

"How are you going to protect Gotham and be the mayor?" I wanted to know "You'll be the public eye a lot, someone will find out sooner or later".

The Dark Knight sighed so softly I barely heard it.

"Assuming I do win, and its possible I won't" he said "I'll still have several months to prepare a successor".

I wondered who that would be. Robin was only sixteen, and while he was talented enough for the job, at least in my view, he wasn't tall enough to be Batman. He wouldn't fit the suit.

"You'll be ready by then" the Caped Crusader said "I want you to protect Gotham as Azrael until my term as mayor comes to an end. I'm not a young man so there will come a day when I hope that either you or Robin will be the Batman".

Had I been drinking anything I would have sprayed it all over the desk, and possible the walls by now.

"What about Robin?" I asked "Shouldn't he replace you?".

That was what apprentices were for.

"Perhaps he will" the Dark Knight answered "or he may chose to become a new hero, or he might go live a more normal life. If he does then I want you to take my place".

Right now I was living a nerd's dream, and it scared me.

"I'll expect you train with me, and go on...".

A buzzing sound interrupted him

"Mr. Wayne, there's a Mr. Nygma here to see you" a voice said.

That was another big shock. The Riddler was here.

"Send him up" Batman ordered.

I was horrified right now, the Riddler wasn't just some misunderstood individual or petty crook. The Riddler was a blight on Gotham City that frequently endangered the lives of innocents and threatened the well-being of the City as a whole. In his own way the Riddler was every bit as bad as Mr. Freeze, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and the countless others that threatened the people of Gotham on an almost daily bases.

"He's a private detective now and I have hired him to aid me in a case" Batman informed me "When he was last in Arkham the Riddler was given some old police files to look through as an attempt to show him how his skills could be used more productively. He solved five murders in a week, and has been declared sane. Now he solves crimes rather than perform them".

The world was going mad, that had to be it. Reality was breaking down, that was the only explanation for the all weird shit going on and how I could ever be Batman.

The Riddler when he entered the office was not dressed his green suit with all those question marks on it. He looked respectable, he wore a suit much like my own and had grown a beard for some reason.

"Mr. Wayne, let me begin my saying that is so good to see you again" the Riddler greated "Working for you is the greatest affirmation of my genius that I could possibly hope for".

Batman, who was for some reason not acting like happy, carefree Bruce Wayne, did not stand up from his seat or shake the hand of his guest. Instead, he remained sitting with his hands still folded in front of him, looking up to Riddler with the unmistakable glare of the Dark Knight on his face.

"I did not bring you here for pleasantries, Riddler," Gotham's Grim Guardian said with noticeable distain "I summoned you here so you could give me an update on your case."

Riddler's smile turned into a sneer as he gave Batman a defiant glare of his own.

"If you want me to help you I ask that you treat me with a little more respect than that" the Riddler replied "I'm putting myself in danger looking into this for you. And let us not forgot that I know who you really are".

Somehow I manged to choke on thin air.

"Oh yes I've known that Mr. Wayne has been Batman for quite some time" the Riddler told me "One of the benefits of a sane mind is that it allows for more rational thought".

I'd been right before, the universe had gone mad.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you are Azrael" the super villain went on to say "Easily deduced. You're too old to be Robin, and you already knew who Bruce Wayne really was. You're not a member of the League, so you must be part of that covert team he likes people not to know about. Azrael is it. I am right?".

I just nodded.

"Mr. Nygma has helped me with a few cases" Batman was now saying "It's true, he knows my secret, but he has also forsaken his former life of crime in favour of working on his completely legitimate business of private detective, even if it's just to satisfy his ego".

That last part I could believe.

"It's not showing off if you can't back it up, Mr. Wayne," Riddler said as he straightened his tie "The fact of the matter is that you require my unique insight into the criminal mind".

Batman had no patience for this man that was clear to see, and since the 'reformed crook' needed his ego to be stroked he turned to me.

"Riddle me this, Azrael" I was then asked "Two identical girls were born to the same mother, on the same day, at the same time, yet they're not twins. How can this be?".

I actually figured it out.

"Because the two girls have another sister, and they are triplets" I replied.

The Riddler looked annoyed, but it past.

"Yes" he said "The case I have been working on for Mr Wayne seemed to be the murder of one twin by the other, but I was able to discover a third sister who was also put up for adoption. She killed one sister and framed the other".

I was about to ask what this was about when suddenly Batman overturned his desk and I ended up under it along with the Riddler. Then my ears were blasted by the sound of gun fire.

Finally, after what I guessed to be twenty seconds of continuous gunfire, the sound stopped and the desk was lifted off me.

"If he wanted to kill me, he would have done so," Batman was saying "Someone is trying to scare me, to stop me from running for mayor. I won't be intimated!".

This entire world was so utterly fucked up. I was so confused, and I got the feeling that if I did find out more then it would only led to me becoming even more befuddled.

(Line Break)

 **Monastery. Outside Gotham.**

"Okay so we have Bruce Wayne running for mayor against the current mayor and Oswald Cobblepot, who seems to have become a respectable businessman" I said as I studied the chalk boards "Scarecrow made a killer drug. Korba tried to take over Santa Prisca. Queen Bee wants to expand her boarders. Also Lex Luthor is playing peace maker. Talia is running her own company while her father is doing stuff like kidnapping Dr. Serling Roquette so he can make a nano weapon. The Brain wanted to run tests on Captain Marvel, and CADMUS is making super heroes using mad science. Last of all the Riddler is now out there solving crimes rather than committing them".

I stepped back and looked at all the boards.

"What does it mean?" I asked myself "and does Professor Ivo have anything to do with the bigger picture?".

Red Arrow, who was also in what once had been the Order's bible study room, gave me a look that told me he had no more of a clue than I did. At least in the big picture sense.

"Don't forget about four simultaneous attacks by ice-themed villains" he reminded me "that might be connected to whatever is going on as there was a jail break that day. Maybe someone wanted to distract the League, or weaken it by getting someone in the League killed".

I added 'ice villains' to one of the boards.

"Then there's Klarion's attempt to steal the Helmet of Fate" I mused "That might be connected, or it could have just been a power grab".

I was missing something. I had some of the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, but not enough to see the big picture.

"We need more information" Speedy said "that or we can wait for someone to make a move. I don't know what else we can do".

If more info was what we needed then I should keep seeing Talia al Ghul as she might let something slip between the sheets. It wasn't likely, but at least the sex was good.

"We have to try to prepare for whatever it is that's going to happen" I was now saying "That means gathering resources and more training. Maybe some new team members too".

Roy nodded his head.

"We're in the dark here" he said "we need some light".

I agreed we did need to be enlightened. I just had no idea where to look for it.


	27. Chapter 27

**DC Gothic - Young Justice.**

 **Part 27.**

 **Monastery. Outside Gotham.**

"I've got us our first mission" I told my gang over the comm system we'd installed in our base "Come to my office".

Red Arrow and Blackfire arrived at the same time so it was safe to assume that they had been together. Most likely shagging judging by the state of Fire's hair.

"What's going on Hero-boy" Blackfire asked as she took a seat.

I got right to the point.

"Talia al Ghul just called me" I answered "About a contract she thought I might be interested in interfering in".

Red Arrow didn't like the idea that we were working for the daughter of a super villain, but really we weren't she just helping fund our operation in exchange for a few favours, including the exchange of information such a the deal she'd just told me about.

"So what's this contract?" Roy asked.

I supplied him the info he desired.

"The contract I just found out about was a weapons sale between the League of Shadows and an extreme Muslim group based in the Middle East" I told them.

Given that I'd been trained and then brainwashed into being an assassin by an extreme Christian group I knew very well how dangerous fanatics could be.

"In a nation called Qurac" I then added.

Qurac did not exist in my world, but here it was a Middle Eastern country on the Persian Gulf, wedged between Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and next to another nation that wasn't part of my Earth called Bialya.

"I did some research and leaned that Qurac is a democracy, ruled by President Rumaan Harjavti. Its people have freedom of speech and general welfare, unlike their neighbours in Bialya " I told my team "Bialya has recently tried to occupy Qurac, but my former team had a hand in stopping that".

Thankfully they had come back alive from that mission.

"A few days ago Ra's al Ghul made a deal with the terrorists that gained him ten million dollars" I reported.

Blackfire didn't understand why this situation was so bad, but Red Arrow did have some idea of what was going on.

"The Shadows tried to stop peace talks between North and South Rhelasia" Roy said "they didn't succeed, so maybe they're trying to destabilise another part of the world".

I used my laptop to learn more and I found that the country of Rhelasia had been founded in 1855 and also that it had been ruled by the Bokun Dynasty. Then after World War II, it was divided into North and South Rhelasia.

Following years of conflict, the leaders of both opposing sides, General Singh Manh Li and Prime Minister Tseng, agreed to bring in an independent arbitrator, Lex Luthor, to settle the dispute and reunite the country. Despite two attacks by an assassin called Cheshire, both delegates had agreed to sign a treaty that could one day lead to the reunification of that nation.

"So weapon did these Shadow people sell the terrorists" Blackfire wished to know.

I quickly supplied her with an answer.

"A couple years ago the League of Shadows stole three briefcase sized nuclear devices" I told her "and they just sold one to the terrorists".

Apparently they had nuclear weapons in space as well on Earth because both my team mates reacted to the news.

"A nuclear weapon?" Roy asked as his eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "You mean we're going after nuclear arms smugglers".

That wasn't exactly the case.

"The smugglers aren't the problem" I explained ", well not our problem. It's who they're selling to that worries me. The terrorist organisation, whose name I'm not even going to try to pronounce has made six attacks against the United States in the last five years with bombings in Central City, Gotham, and Metropolis. All of which failed thanks to different members of the Justice League, and I think they are planning another attack, and if the League doesn't stop it a lot of people will die".

I'd warn Batman, who would in turn warn the League, but I wanted my team to handle this as we could be there in seconds thanks to my Mother Box.

"So we are going to Qurac then." Blackfire.

I nodded to confirm this.

"Ah I hate that place." Roy grumbled. "Are we destroying the bomb or what? I mean a nuke is a heavy thing can we just take it?".

I fully intended to take it, and keep it in case I ever needed a nuke. Some aliens were bound to invade sooner or later and I wanted to have some surprises ready for them.

"This one isn't" I told Red Arrow "Its fits in a suitcase. Its not very powerful, but it doesn't need to be if goes off in a major city".

It could even cripple a nation if a terrorist got it close enough the centre of a country's government.

"Tool up" I ordered "We're leaving in the next half hour. We go in, we grab the bomb and bring it back here".

That was when Blackfire asked another question.

"I was just wondering what the name of our team is?" she said.

So far I'd come up and dismissed many names, now I had one that I liked.

"We're the Outcasts" I told her.

My team mates then nodded and rushed off to get there stuff.

(Line Break)

 **Quraci. The Middle East.**

Less than an hour later we crouched in the middle of the Quraci desert on a sun-dune that overlooked the camp of the terrorist organisation. A column of army vehicles rolled down the road into the camp led by a pair of tanks, they looked old.

"Cold war surplus" Red Arrow told us "The Russians must have sold them some tanks".

The tanks complicated things. The alien princess was super powered, she had proved to be just as tough as Power Girl, but Roy and I weren't gods in tights we would get blown to bits in a direct fight.

"There are only two of the tanks" Blackfire said "I can take them out from the air".

A sound idea, assuming they didn't have air defences, and so far we hadn't seen any. However we didn't want any deaths. Well to be more precise we weren't suppose to cause any deaths, either way we needed to be careful.

"Can you do it without killing anyone?" I asked Fire.

She nodded.

"I can control the amount of energy in my star-bolts" she then informed Roy and I "Disabling the tanks will be easy and I can create a lot of confusion for our enemies without taking any lives".

That sounded great.

"Alright, Roy and I will infiltrate the base while you stay here" I told the princess "If we call you then attack right away. Just don't get to close I don't want you getting shot".

Blackfire seemed okay with this plan.

"I will be waiting" she said "and don't get Roy killed, he's pretty good at sex".

Red Arrow and I exchanged glances and then headed out.

(Line Break)

 **Rebel Base. Quraci**

Cheshire swung the backpack off and dropped it with a thump on the wooden table, the rebels, or freedom fights as they saw themselves, all winced as there was a small nuclear bomb in the bag. Cheshire wasn't concerned as she knew that nuclear weapons didn't just explode no matter how many times you dropped them.

"Your merchandise" the cat girl assassin said.

The leader of the Quraci terrorists nodded before setting a metal briefcase beside the backpack, which he then opened. Inside was a tidy sum of American dollars, it was the the last scheduled payment for the bomb.

Cheshire then emptied her bag and refilled it with the money. The Quraci's rebel nodded at her and smiled as he took the briefcase with the bomb in it.

"We are most thankful for your delivery" the leader of the terrorists told the assassin "With this we will finally overthrow our oppressor and give our people the leaders they need. We shall return to the days of glory".

Cheshire understood that this really meant that the rebels were going to kill President Rumaan Harjavti and all his most loyal supports so that they could run the country. This would not be good for the people of Quracis as a return to the 'days of glory' would mean the end of all welfare for the public, and for the women here things would be worse than ever as they would be reduced to mere property. As a woman, Cheshire was not happy about that.

"I'll remain for a time to ensure that no one interferes with your preparations" Cheshire then said.

She had been ordered to do so by the great Ra's al Ghul, and so that was what she would do, but that didn't mean she had to remain anywhere near the repulsive terrorist leader. It was bad enough she had stick around while the rebels readied their army to occupy what was left of the Capitol once the bomb went off.

Cheshire repressed her feelings and focused on her job she moved to a vantage point that gave her a good view of the whole camp

The sound of a heavy booted foot softly kicking a loose stone drew her attention and she stepped into the shadows as she watched two men slink out of cover. She studied them and noted that first man wore amour made of both leather and metal, she next noted that he carried two swords that were strapped to his back. Also he had on a hood and a mask so she didn't get a look at his face.

As for the other man he wore red armour and had a bow in one hand. His face was somewhat covered by a mask, and he had ginger hair. Also he was carrying the very bomb she had just delivered under one arm.

That was when the alarm went off and the armoured guy opened fire with some sort of energy weapon.

Cheshire gritted her teeth as he got ready to make her move, then she looked skyward in time to see a dull purple light in the distance moving against the stars like an aeroplane. The assassin didn't know who this was, but she was pretty sure that some super powered meta-human or an alien being was now working with Red Arrow.

She snarled and scrambled to a box that was painted green and had the Lexcorp logo on it. With a kick she opened the lid and lifted the missile launcher from its packaging. With practised ease she slid it over her shoulder and squinted up into the night sky. She smirked as she settled the missiles sights on the thermal bloom of the flying hero and flicked the arming switch. she then pulled the trigger.

Up above Blackfire screamed a profanity that had never been heard on Earth before as a missile streaked up from the base. Wishing to avoid it she dove, she pushed her body as fast as it would go as the missile chased her. Had it been anything other than a Lexcorp product she would have outrun it, but Lex Luthor had designed the weapon to kill flying meta-humans and aliens.

"I'm under attack!" she yelled.

Then the missile exploded sending shrapnel out in all directions. She felt something cut through her armour, and the shock-wave hit her like the war cry of a raging god. The stars spun and she gasped for breath. Her body roared with pain and she looked down to see the ground spinning as it rose up to meet her. Then there was darkness.

Cheshire smirked as the fireball lit up the night sky and she dropped the smoking missile tube. Then she scrambled onto the top of one of the piles of munitions and stood looking over the base, she was now searching for her other two foes.

(Line Break)

 **Rebel Base. Quraci**

"Fire! What's going on?" Roy called out.

Since we were currently being shot at this wasn't really the time for Red Arrow to shouting about his girlfriend. I could understand his concern, but I'd much rather he help me stop the enemy from overwhelming our position.

"I'll open a Boom Tube" I yelled "We can come back for her"

Roy was not happy about my idea.

"You may not care about her, and I haven't known her that long, but she means something to me" he replied.

Thankfully he was at least focused enough to start firing some arrows at the people who were trying to kill us, or at least had been shooting at us. For some reason they had just suddenly stopped.

"Does she really?" a female voice asked from above

I felt a cold chill run down my back, and I slowly turned to look up. What I saw was a mask that looked somewhat like a cat with a wide grin. I also saw that this person wore green outfit and had a pair of what looked over-sized forks in her hands. Only I knew that they were proper weapons even if I didn't know the name for them.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing I got rid of her" cat ninja girl said.

I didn't care that much for the alien princess, but I still felt anger upon hearing that someone had possibly killed her.

"Cheshire!" Roy snarled "What did you do to her?"

I was now getting the sense that these two knew each other, and if this was the same Cheshire that had attacked my former team during a mission I'd been left out of, then I had an idea of how deadly she was. Which was to say very.

"Nothing personal, just a missile." Cheshire replied.

Roy lifted his bow and drew back with an arrow as I opened fire with my space gun, Cheshire somersaulted forward while the energy blast and the arrow went right past her and she landed just behind the me. She then drew her weapons and did some fancy dodging when I resumed firing at her.

"Not bad, Azrael" she commented.

The brief pause before she'd said my name left me thinking that she'd only just figured out who I was, and that was bad because it meant that she might also have an idea of what I could do.

"Let's see how well those monks trained you" cat-girl ninja then said.

In one move she kicked the gun out of my hand, and in another move she was on top of me with her killer forks stabbed into the ground. They'd barely avoided being driven into my neck.

"I'm disappointed…" she started to say.

Rather than let her finish I headbutted her and in the second she was stunned I pushed her off me.

"Cheshire!" Roy then shouted.

He fired and she knocked the arrow out of the air.

"Is that the best you can do Roy?" she asked.

While that was going on I withdrew one of blades, the flaming one, and charged at Cheshire from behind. The assassin spun and parried my strikes with her deadly forks before a cool move by me knocked her mask off. Since this was a DC verse she was of course super hot.

"Come on Avenging Angel" she said "Surely one as well trained as you wouldn't have trouble with a mere woman".

Cheshire struck me in the groin and I groaned in pain despite the fact that my armour came with a cup. I stumble back against the crates and gasped for breath.

"Bitch!" I yelled.

Thankfully the pain didn't last long.

"Aww is the little angel angry?" Cheshire mocked "Come and show me a good time boys, jobs like this get so boring without people like you around".

I was about to attack when I saw Red Arrow make a move.

"Jade!" Roy yelled as he charged forward.

I heard Cheshire swear in some language I didn't speak as my team mate tried to stab her with one his arrows. She lashed out with a kick that knocked him off his feet and dropped him onto the sand.

"Oh Roy, if you wanted to penetrate me all you had to do was ask" she joked.

It was in poor taste, but I still laughed. What didn't amuse me was when she drove one of her deadly forks into the ground, she only just avoiding stabbing him in the ass because he rolled out the way.

"You've been a very naughty boy" cat-girl ninja then said.

I had to reply.

"And you're a bad girl who needs a spanking!" I yelled.

Cheshire spun, kicking the blade from my hand before the Sword of Sins could do its worked, and she followed that up with a roundhouse that caught me in the gut. That barely phased me we ended up trading blows until she finally got the upper hand and sent me tumbling into some crates.

Which really hurt, but pain was something I was rapidly learning to handle with her around so I withdrew my other sword, made it glow and got back into the fight.

Not that it lasted very long as someone opened fire and I had back off from Cheshire in order to avoid being shot.

"Fuck" I swore.

Cheshire gave me a smile.

"Is that an offer? she asked "Maybe later when I'm off the clock".

She started to walk away.

"Jade!" Roy snarled.

The small army of soldiers that were now all around us levelled their weapons toward him.

"Roy don't move" I ordered.

Guns couldn't kill me, but he would die and couldn't allow that, not now that I was actually starting to like him.

"Just surrender" Cheshire said

Roy scowled and slowly lifted his hands as the soldiers closed in. I mimicked the action.


	28. Chapter 28

**DC Gothic - Young Justice.**

 **Part 28.**

 **Rebel Base. Qurac.**

I groaned as the throbbing pain in my head brought me fully into the waking world. Which was a shame because I'd been having a nice dream about one Azrael's adventures in the past.

Once I was able to focus I saw that I'd been shackled to a folding chair. I had ropes around both my arms and my legs. Also I noted that I had been stripped down to my boxers and t-shirt.

This didn't worry me and I was far from helpless. With a few words in R'lyehian I cast a spell that should have weakened the ropes enough for me to easily break them, only nothing happened, these terrorists had ways to counter magic, and that meant they had been prepared for a spell caster.

"The mole" I muttered "Of course, they must have told the League of Shadows about my powers".

To my surprise someone replied to my statement.

"Of course they did" someone said.

A woman's voice echoed in the gloomy room and I peered into the darkness.

"I figured it'd be interesting to see who was behind the mask" the voice then said "I must say, it's rather disappointing. You're no one".

This pleased me a little rather than offend me as it meant that whoever was really behind the upcoming terrorist attack and my capture didn't know much about me. They'd expected me to someone important behind the mask, which meant they didn't know everything about me even if they did know about my powers.

"Who are you?" I then asked "What do you want?"

At this point I figured I needed to start gathering information in order to plan my escape. Batman, who'd I'd messaged before leaving, might turn up and save me, but I was going to count on it.

"My name" the voice replied "My name is unimportant"

A woman stepped into the light and she more out of place in Middle Eastern camp than even I was. She was not only European, judging by her accent, she was also dressed as dominatrix. Which was odd and not just because women in Muslim countries tended to very modest in dress.

"My name doesn't matter Azreal" the woman was now saying I just wish to ask you a few questions".

Which would involve torture I was sure

"You expect me to talk?" I asked.

My question amused her.

"No I don't" she answered "at least not without some encouragement."  
She walked slowly around me and I got a vibe of a predator stalking its prey.

"Of course we could just send you off into Allah's loving embrace if you wish to be stubborn about it" she then said.

Her tone of voice suggested that she was not a big believer in Allah.

"Well better you than Cheshire" I said "Now she's scary".

And also hot.

"She volunteered to interrogate both of you" I was informed "But she'll have to wait her turn.

When I heard the crack of a whip I started pitying myself while wondering if ninja cat girl wasn't the better option.

(Line Break)

 **Rebel Base. Qurac.**

Cheshire stared up at the ceiling of the tent she'd been given to rest in, however sleep eluded her. Lifting an arm she glanced at a digital watch on her wrist and sighed. She then stood and stepped out into the camp. The golden glow of the morning light lit up the eastern sky as she slipped into the shadows and made her way to the command tent.

"The only way those two fools will flee is together." she grumbled to herself "Idiot men".

Moments later she pushing through the tent flap and slid into the room. Spying the newest computer she slid into the seat and plugged in a special USB drive. A moment later the security system that had locked the PC disappeared and Cheshire quickly rummaged through the files until she found the battle plans, which she copied.

She didn't yet know what she planned to do with this information, but she figured that later on it could come in handy.

Then she pulled the USB stick from the drive and pocketed it just seconds before the rebel leader entered the tent, by the time he leader was sitting at this desk Cheshire was outside, and listening in. Three men had entered the tent, the leader and two of his officers.

"The one calling himself Red Arrow is most resistant to torture. I even resorted to an infidel method that should have loosened his tongue but it failed as well" a man who wasn't the leader said.

Cheshire winced in sympathy.

"So how soon shall we put them out of their misery?" another man enquired.

The leader soon answered.

"Less than a week. Our transports will arrive by then" was the reply "Did you get much from the other one?"

Again there was no pause in the conversation.

"Our ally sent us someone talented in the art of torture" the other man said "However the man who used the swords seems to have some sort of healing power. He may take time to break".

Cheshire was intrigued to hear that.

"We haven't been able to track down the third member yet, either she was blown to bits or the flying one is still out there somewhere" the terrorist was saying to his leader "I will send more patrols just in case".

Cheshire scowled upon hearing that bit of news.

"I'm not sure I'll kill her or enlist her help" she whispered "but either way I better find the flying bitch".

(Line Break)

 **Rebel Base. Qurac.**

Roy Harper groaned as the door creaked open and looked up to see woman clad a dominatrix outfit. After a moment, he felt a bowl of water being forced against his lips and he took a drink from the cool liquid.

"Who are you?" Red Arrow asked "And what's with get up?"

The woman laughed and leaned forward.

"I am no one important, merely an agent of her majesty's will" she replied before changing the subject "I put your friend through quite the extreme variety of torments, and he did not wish to tell me much of anything about himself. I was so disappointed, I wanted to learn a bit about you so called 'heroes'."

Roy cursed.

"You already know everything you need to" he then said.

The dominatrix didn't agree.

"You know many things" the woman went on to say "Like who informed you about the exchange?".

Roy didn't answer right away, but there was only so much whipping he could take, and since his arms were held up by strong chains he didn't even a chair to sit in.

"Don't know" he finally said "Ask Azrael, he's the one with all the contacts".

The woman snorted.

"Typical, so you're just his lackey?" she mocked.

Red Arrow played along with best he could.

"Yeah" Roy said.

The women then changed tactics.

"If that's so, maybe I can get him to talk by beating you to a pulp in front of him." The woman said. "Or maybe I should do something more imaginative to the both of you".

Red Arrow felt fear when he saw the predatory gleam in her eyes.

"No, well perhaps I should ask something else" she then decided "What's the history between you and Cheshire?"

Roy swallowed.

"What's it matter to you?" he asked back.

Again the woman seemed amused.

"I was just wondering if she'd like to fire a bullet into your brain" the woman said causally.

Truthfully Roy had idea if Jade would do that or not and so he couldn't answer. The female torturer didn't like that at all.

(Line Break)

 **Rebel Base. Qurac.**

I swore as Roy was forced down into a seat across from me and held in place by two guards.

Once he was secure the evil woman slowly stalked around us with a feral and predatory smile.

"Now I've heard you hero types can't bear the suffering of others " the torture said "So lets put it to the test"

At this point I was cursing myself for starting to like Red Arrow, a week ago I would have been able to bare to watching him suffer, now the idea upset me.

"When I get out this I will kill all of you" I stated.

Rather than reply the leather clad woman motioned and one of the uniformed terrorists dropped a car battery on the table, along with a set of jumper cables.

"No mercy to the American infidels" she said with glee.

I felt the need to speak again.

"Actually I'm British" I informed the bad people "Not American, don't care if you blow it up".

I was ignored.

"Where are you going to put those things?" Roy asked.

I really didn't want to know.

"Remove his trousers" the woman said with a demonic smile.

I'd been right. I really hadn't wanted to know.

(Line Break)

 **Hospital. Qurac.**

Jade had little trouble finding the flying woman, some of the locals had kindly brought her to a hospital. Which proved to Cheshire that not everyone in this country was evil. Not that she normally judged but the terrorist cell she'd been forced to work with just rubbed her the wrong way.

"You captured them" the alien princess said.

It wasn't really a question, but Blackfire got an answer.

"Yes" Cheshire replied.

The alien had mostly recovered form her wound, she was a lot tougher than a human. Because of this she was not only already out of bed, but nearly ready to go back into battle. None of the nurses or doctors wanted her to leave, they just Warren't willing to argue about it. The alien princess was rather scary.

"And now you want to rescue them?" Blackfire asked.

It was confusing.

"I had a job, I did it now that it's over I want to help Roy" Che sire stated "and I'm thinking of defecting".

"You are an assassin." Blackfire replied "Why would we want you on our side?".

Cheshire slumped against the wall and shook her head.

"You don't understand I want something you have" she explained.

She then shook her head

"No you have someone I want." Cheshire corrected.

Blackfire scowled for a moment and then her eyes went wide. Slowly she turned her gaze to Cheshire and for a fleeting moment saw a flicker of sadness slip across the mask of indifference.

"Roy" Blackfire murmured "You want him?"

Cheshire bowed her head,

"I don't want him to die" she admitted.

Blackfire laughed suddenly.

"Oh you can have him" she then said "I mean he's good at the sex, but I'm not interested in anything long term".

Cheshire's green eyes went wide in surprise.

"But... I thought, you and Roy... and..." she struggled to say.

Blackfire smiled.

"I have needs" the alien princess said "He satisfied them, that is all".

Cat girl ninja took some time to process that

"That's actually rather sad" Cheshire said quietly.

Blackfire didn't see it that way, and she didn't care what the assassin thought about her.

"Its up to Azrael if you join the team or not" the Space Babe was now saying "But if you save him from horrible torture and death, I'm sure he'll say yes".

It would be rude to do otherwise.

(Line Break)

 **Rebel Base. Qurac.**

"Is your magic working?" Roy asked me.

Whatever was preventing me from using spells seemed to effect the entire base.

"Sorry no" I replied.

A line of men armed with assault rifles were currently lining up in front of Red Arrow and I. We were seconds away from being shot.

"You know sometime I should learn their language" Roy said "Would be nice to know if they are counting down to our deaths".

I laughed and soon wished I hadn't as everything hurt.

"Bit late now, isn't it" I replied.

The terrorists hadn't aimed their rifles at us and the leader was speaking so I assumed he was still sentencing us to death.

"You've died once already. Does it hurt?" Roy asked.

My current plan was do be shot, let them dump my body somewhere and wait to wake up again. Then I would avenge Red Arrow by slaughtering all the rebels. I'd creep back into the camp, get a gun and just kill everyone.

"Yeah it does" I told Harper "but not for very long. Then its like falling asleep".

Well it was like that for me.

"How'd it come to this?" Roy asked.

I also answered this question.

"We got our asses handed to us by a girl dressed as cat ninja" I reminded him "but hey you won't have to live it down. My humiliation will be eternal".

Roy found that funny.

"If you live through this avenge my death" he request "Don't kill Cheshire, just make her life a living hell".

I nodded my head.

"Will do" I promised.

Assuming of course I was actually immortal, and the first time I'd come back hadn't been some kind of fluke. Plus there was always the chance they would cremate my body. I might not come back from being dust in the wind.

The guards took aim and just before anyone fired a number of smoke pellets dropped before the line of shooters. This was followed by screaming and people shouting in Arabic.

Next a purple star-bolt raced passed my eyes and I started to get a good idea of what was going on. My theory was confirmed when a green clad figure dropped behind Roy and withdrew a pair of deadly forks. I almost called out a warning, but the cat girl ninja only used her weapons to free Red Arrow.

"Oh hell" Roy grumbled "She's never going to let me live this down"

Given that the ropes binding me were now being cut lose I was willing to let bygones be bygones. At least with Cheshire, the dominatrix who was now running towards me was going to suffer horribly, even if I had to beat her half to death with my bare hands.

She snarled at me and stepped forward while slashing at me with one of my magical weapons, however she was no swords-person, or at least not one close to my level, and I able to avoid the attack, then I grabbed her wrist and squeezed it as hard as I could. Evil bitch dropped the sword and I caught it will my free hand. I then slashed her, and the sword phased through her body, doing no physical harm rather it effect her mind. Not that she suffered for long as I knocked her out by bashing her head with the handle of the sword. Which dropped her to the ground with a thud.

"Next time we met I'll make you suffer" I promised.

That would have to wait as right now things were rather crazy. I looked around and found that the rebels were either out of action or running away. Clearly they weren't a brave lot, although given that the alien princess had blasted most of their camp to rubble in a matter of seconds I had to credit with brains for legging it.

"So you survived Cheshire" I heard Roy say to Blackfire.

I looked around for the cat-girl ninja and found that she wasn't far away. She was knocking out a few rebels who'd been braver than the others, but not smarter.

"Takes more than a missile to kill me" bragged the space babe.

I ignored their talk and focused on Cheshire when I saw that she had one of my swords.

"Hey, that's mine!" I yelled.

Cheshire scoffed.

"Yeah, and you can it back when you learn to use it" she said to me.

Now I was really mad.

"Fuck you!" I shouted.

I attacked and used the sword I'd recovered in order to clash blades with the cat-girl ninja, who to my annoyance turned out to be rather good with a sword. But to be fair I'd been tortured on and for the past few days, and she hadn't.

"Damn it Jade!" I heard Roy yell "Give it back to him!".

Cat girl ninja snorted and countered another one of my blows before lashing out and nearly cutting into my face.

"Oh, you've done it now" I said

She caught my next strike with one of her deadly forks and twisted in such a way that my sword fell from my grip. The sword clattered on the ground. Cheshire slowly raised the stolen blade towards my throat.

"I'm a professional Azrael" she told me "You are an amateur".

Given what I'd recently been through it was understandable that I'd simply had enough. I didn't want to hit any woman, but cat ninja girl had pissed me off so much that I let my anger take control. I batted the blade aside with one fist and then before she could react my other fist was hitting her mask so hard that it broke.

Cheshire stumbled backwards, and I struck again. I gave her no chance to fight back I just kept hitting her until a purple star-bolt blasted through the air and struck the ground next to me.

"That's enough, Azrael!" Blackfire shouted "We need to leave now. You can settle things between you later".

I had to agree with that, and I couldn't just leave a Mother Box in the hands of terrorists. Plus I needed my armour back.

"Fine lets get our stuff and go before the guys with guns come back" I said.

(Line Break)

 **Monastery. Outside Gotham.**

While I felt much better now that I had all my stuff back and a small nuclear bomb hidden someone in my base which I could use to kill anyone I dam well pleased. Still there was still something pissing me off, and that the fact that Cheshire wanted to join my team.

"Why?" was my first question.

We were all in what passed for an infirmary in the team's base. It wasn't very equipped. I'd have to fix it up later as while I didn't need help healing the same wasn't true for the rest of my team.

"Arrow and I are old friends" she told me "I've missed him"

Roy sputtered and glanced nervously at Blackfire.

"If you want to be with her I don't mind" the alien princess said "Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement to share until I find someone to service my needs".

My life so sucked right now.

"You must be fucking kidding me" I muttered

He could have both of them for all I cared I was just shocked, and so was Red Arrow.

"But... but... Fire!" Roy stammered.

The alien princess was amused by Red Arrow's reaction.

"I'm not interested in being a couple" Blackfire explained before changing the subject "Now ninja bitch wants to join up with us and I think that she should".

There were valid reasons not to let her join.

"She's crazy" I pointed.

Cheshire snorted and glanced around the group.

"Are you kidding?" she asked "I thought that was a qualification".

Well she wasn't wrong. I was unstable, Blackfire seemed to be too, and Arrow was getting there at least.

"Great why don't we all just check ourselves into Arkham" Roy suggested.

Perhaps we would all end up there.

"I've been in worse places" cat-girl commented.

Arrow replied before I could.

"You're a professional mercenary and assassin, of course you have." Roy said to her "You probably lived out of a third world brothel at some point".

I was now thinking of keeping Cheshire around just so I could watch her annoy the hell of Roy. I had no TV here, so I needed something to watch while eating popcorn.

"Only for a month," Cheshire said with a snicker "The neighbours kept me up all night".

She was amusing too, that was a point in her favour.

"I'll have to see what Batman has to say before I accept your application to join my awesome team" I told Jade "But you can stay here until I get a chance to talk to him".

Cheshire laughed.

"Please, we're near Gotham" she reminded "Bats either knows I'm here already or will find out in any second. Then he'll just appear...".

I spotted him first.

"Actually, I'm already here" the Dark Knight said "You really should secure the area before talking."

Cheshire twitched. While I hadn't gotten to know her yet she seemed to always be so confident. So it was strange to see her so unnerved.

"I'll have to train you more than I had thought" Batman told me "Your first mission as a team was disaster".

It wasn't as if I didn't know that.

"I wonder who tipped you off this time?" I said.

Batman didn't say a word as he stepped fully into the room, as Cheshire tensed he sent her a glare that froze the woman in her place. I liked that he could scare her.

"It doesn't matter how I know you're back, or how I found out how badly you did" the Caped Crusader said "What I want to know is why you've picked up one of the League of Shadow's best agents and brought her here?".

My guess was that he had a way of tracking boom tubes, that was how he knew we'd gotten back not long ago.

"She's in love with Red Arrow and wants to play house with him" I told the Batman "She is the reason we were captured, and tortured, and I will have my revenge for that. But she also saved us, and she helped us get our stuff back. Plus she gave me a nuclear weapon, that's a hell of gift".

Batman made no visible reaction so I figured that he'd already suspected that this was the case.

"The League of Shadows sold the nuclear device to the terrorist cell for far less the ten million dollars you told me about" we Batman's next words "and the sale was just cover. The League of Shadows wanted the terrorists to overthrow their government, but it was Queen Bee's plan. She intended to use the chaos caused by the destruction of the Quraci government as justification for a take over. The UN would take action if she attempted to invade again, however they'd be far less inclined to prevent her from resorting order in a country that boarders her own".

Now a lot of things were making sense, like how a rebel army with tanks decades old could afford to spend ten million on a bomb.

"But why tell us?" Red Arrow asked.

Batman was also able to answer this query.

"Either the Shadows wanted to double cross Queen Bee or Talia's father wanted to weaken our side by taking out your team" the Dark Knights death "Its even possible that Queen Bee wanted you to be killed by the terrorists in order to further justify her army taking control. The UN might even support her take over if she had evidence that the terrorists had killed at least one American citizen".

The bad guys had very convoluted plans these days, and I still didn't understand the big picture.

"There's no proof of any of this" the Dark Knight went on to say "We don't even have evidence that the terrorists were planning an attack since you four scattered the rebels".

I noticed then that Cheshire had suddenly perked up.

"Oh wait" she said "This might help".

She handed the Caped Crusader a USB stick.

"I copied their battle plans" she explained "I don't know if there's anything linking the terrorists to the League of Shadows or Queen Bee, but maybe it will led to something".

Batman took it without a word and then looked at me.

"I want the device" he then said,

The torture must have driven me crazy because I refused and even faced the glare of doom.

"I might need it" I told the Dark Knight "Things are happening, big things I want something as a trump card. Besides its worth a lot and I do need more resources".

My team looked shocked.

"I'll give you four customised bikes" Batman offered "complete with non-lethal weapons".

For a nuke that was a bargain, for him.

"I also want... two collapsible staffs, a utility belt for Cheshire, enough equipment to turn this into a proper sickbay, and we guys get a raise, we were tortured we deserves it".

Batman replied right away.

"Done" he stated "Now where is it".

Now I was wishing I'd asked for more, on the other hand he'd have just taken it by force, so making a deal was best.

"In the Chapel, inside the altar" I told him.

Then he was gone, the door banged shut behind him as he left.

"Okay something is up with him" I then said "First this mayor thing, and now we actually notice when he leaves. I'm worried".

No one else seemed concerned, well actually the girls were they were just worrying about Roy.

"He gets two girls, and I didn't even get to keep the nuke" I muttered "Life is so unfair".

Red Arrow looked at me.

"I had my balls electrocuted" he reminded me "I deserve to be pampered by attractive women".

That was something I could not argue with so I decided to leave him to his growing harem.

"Look after him ladies" I ordered "I'm going to pay a visit to Talia al Ghul. I may murder her".

No one even replied.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author Note**

This story jumps about a bit as Azrael remembers what he got up to while drunk, as such it might be a bit confusing. I just wanted to try something a bit different.

 **DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Mount Justice - The Morning After**

I woke up with a dry mouth, a bit of a headache, and no memory of what happened to me recently. However with my keen detective skills I was soon able to deduce that I had gone out drinking last night.

While I hadn't yet opened my eyes, as I knew it would hurt, I still had other senses to work with. I could feel soft fabric on the side of my face and also soft flesh beneath what I was guessed was an item of clothing. It was a familiar sensation.

Aside from that I could smell the stink of booze, and a female scent, not perfume of any kind but a natural and very pleasant smell. Which was also familiar.

I moved my hand and felt around, feeling a human form. She was defiantly a woman I discovered upon using my hand to define the size of the breast I was not currently resting my head upon.

"You can play later" said a voice very well known to me "Go back to sleep".

That had been Colette speaking, and given how things had been the last time I'd seen her I decided that getting up and leaving might be a good idea, as while right now she wasn't ripping me apart with her bare hands, she might do that if she fully woke up.

Slowly I rolled over, while keeping my eyes shut, and I found that there was another body in my way. Another pair of boobs, these also covered in thin fabric, were now playing the role of pillows.

"Oh" another female voice said, one I didn't know "Is this an Earth custom?".

I shot up out of bed and looked around. I was in my room, but not the one at the Monastery, which was pretty basic compared to my room at Mount Justice, where I was now.

When my vision came into focus I saw that my bed was occupied by two women, which explained all the boobs, and one of them was unknown to me. She looked like Blackfire, only her skin was a different colour and she was younger, a kid really.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

She didn't answer, nor did Collete who was now looking at me as if I'd gone crazy, it was Red Arrow who spoke.

"That's Blackfire's sister" he told me.

I did recall her mentioning that she had a sister who had also been enslaved, and the alien girl in my bed did look like the princess.

"Can someone please explain how I ended up in bed with my ex and Blackfire's sister".

As Red Arrow got up of the floor I saw that he wasn't along. He, along with Cheshire and Blackfire, had made a bed on the floor out of cushions from the sofa and some spare sheets. Thankfully they were all somewhat dressed.

"We went out drinking last night" Roy reminded me "After your training with Batman".

Now I was starting to remember.

(Line Break)

 **Gotham- Yesterday**

It was a cloudy day in Gotham City, with the sun remaining hidden and the odd spattering of rain falling down from the heavens. In England we'd called this 'A typical summer's day', but the people of Gotham seemed to find it somewhat depressing, or perhaps my own foul mood just made it seem that way.

I was walking down the street, but not really going anywhere. I was sore all over from training with Batman, and while it made sense to go home so I could rest. I didn't really want to as Roy and his two girlfriends couldn't keep their hands of each other. It made me sick with envy.

Talia al Ghul ditching me as her toy boy had only made me feel worse. I felt used, although beating up her bodyguards while breaking into her penthouse apartment meant that I was partly to blame for the breakup.

My moping came to a halt when I heard a car horn go honk. I turned to see a red car and in the transport was Red Arrow, he was wearing sunglasses and had a red hood covering his head.

"Hey, Az, Az, Az, Az, Azrael!" called out Roy "Get in the car".

Several people looked at me upon hearing that name, but I ignored them. I wasn't worried about the whole secret identity thing as I was just some white guy with blue eyes and dark hair, which meant I didn't stand out in a crowd, and if anyone took a picture I wouldn't show up in it due to the magic I'd put into my clothes.

"Why?" I asked.

He smiled at me.

"We're gonna get drunk so we can try to forget about that whole torture thing" he answered.

That did sound like a good plan, but I wanted to be alone right now, so I started to walk off.

"Get in the damn car before I shoot you between the eyes!" Cheshire shouted while sticking her head of a back seat window "Don't think I won't do it".

Given what she'd done for a living until recently I had no doubt that she would, so I got into the passenger seat at the front of the car.

As Red Arrow drove through the city, he opened a flask of whisky, judging by the smell, and took a sip.

"You're driving" I pointed out.

Roy didn't seem to care, in fact he sped up.

"Why worry" he then said "Even if I crash it won't kill you".

I ignored him and turned around to see that in the backseat of Red Arrow's car, was not just Jade. Blackfire was here too.

"Oh! Look!" shouted the alien princess, while pressing her face against the window, "That man is urinating against a building!".

I got the sense she'd already started drinking, and I also figured that I wanted to catch up.

(Line Break)

The car had stopped in front of a midtown bar that was neither seedy or high class, and now three of the four of us, all dressed in civilian clothing, were at the bar, and all three of us were holding glasses of something that didn't look at all good for our livers.

"I'm telling you Dark Side of the Moon syncs up with Wizard of Oz" Jade stated.

I had no idea how we'd gotten onto this topic, mostly because I was brooding, and therefore not really paying attention.

"No! It does not!" stated Red Arrow.

Blackfire was up on the karaoke stage, singing 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'

"She sings…good," slurred Red Arrow.

Most of the bar patrons were nodding their heads to the song, even Killer Croc, which was kinda weird because I'd heard he was dead, or maybe just in Arkham. It was possible that I was simply imagining him however.

"So, what'cha gonna sing?" asked Red Arrow "I've heard you sing.. you can sing".

This was news to me.

"Something Emo" I said "I'm feeling Emo".

Normally Emo people annoyed me, but today their depressing outlook on life was something I shared.

"Ha! Emo!" laughed a drunk Red Arrow.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice - The Morning After**

"Okay now I remember the drinking" I said "but that doesn't explain how we met Starfire, or how we ended up here".

As Roy started to explain I found that more memories of last night were coming back to me.

(Line Break)

 **Gotham- Last Night**

"Stop it!" screamed a crying Blackfire "Don't you see that…I care about you both equally?"

Roy and I stopped hitting each other and looked at her as she cried softly while kneeling on the sidewalk, which was just outside the bar we'd been thrown out of.

"We were fighting over whose fault it was we got kicked out" I told Blackfire.

Clearly she hadn't understood that.

"I miss my sister" she then told us.

As I looked at the crying alien princess and a notion entered my mind.

"Guys I have a brilliant idea" I said.

(Line Break)

 **The Citadel - Last Night**

"Whose brilliant idea was this?" Cheshire yelled as she fired an alien weapon she picked up soon after we'd arrived here.

While this place was called the Citadel, it was not be confused with that awesome place some other versions of myself lived in, nor was it anywhere near as cool as the Citadel in Mass Effect. This Citadel was the headquarters of an organisation which turned people into slaves and sold them to the highest bidder.

A Princess would fetch a high price as a sex slave in some parts of the galaxy, which was why Starfire, Blackfire's little sister, was being held in the most well defended part of the massive slavers base.

"My brilliant idea!" I shouted, while firing my energy weapon at some slavers "Blackfire's sister is a hot alien babe in distress. She must be saved and then seduced".

That was my plan, and Blackfire supported the entire of it. The hard part was waiting for Roy to get Starfire out her cell while Blackfire disabled the shields that would prevent me from making a Boom Tube back to Earth.

An explosion suddenly shook the entire Citadel, and since I knew we needed to get moving I set my weapon to maximum and blasted my way in Starfire's cell.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice - The Morning After**

"Okay I remember now" I told everyone "We went drinking and then we broke into the largest slaver base in the known galaxy to rescue a princess".

At the time I hadn't known that Starfire was a kid, which might explain why I was in bed with Colette, but I wasn't sure about that.

"So what happened next?" I then asked.

(Line Break)

 **Gotham- Last Night**

Red Arrow was driving once again while still drunk, and he was covered in alien blood, and the Xenos princess we'd just saved had only just stopped talking to her sister in their native tongue. Which so far hadn't made for a pleasant drive as Blackfire's language seemed to involve a lot of shouting and dramatic hand gestures.

"What should we do now?" asked Jade.

I had no freaking ideas.

"Let's go…see a movie," suggested Red Arrow with a grin.

Now could be fun.

"Capital idea, good sport!" I said, feeling very British all of a sudden.

Jade spoke next.

"There's no where showing movies at this time of night" she pointed out "and we don't have a DVD player, or a TV, or a sound system. We should get those things".

I had another brilliant idea.

"My room at Mount Justice has all those things and more" I told the people in the car "I can boom tube us right into my room, and before anyone realises we've broken in, we grab all my cool stuff and tube out again. And best of all no one will shoot at us".

It was a flawless plan.

(Line Break)

 **Mount Justice - The Morning After**

It hadn't been. We'd been caught, lectured by Black Canary. Also I was pretty sure that Super-boy had hit me. Then Batman had turned up, and he'd settled things.

"Starfire's going to the Teen Titans, and we get Colette on our team" I said "And the team here gets to call upon the Outcasts if they ever need the extra numbers".

Which was unlikely as they had another new team member, a witch called Zantanna.

"But that doesn't explain why you're in my room" I then said to Colette "or why you're now on my team".

Power Girl sighed before giving me the info I required.

"I decided to forgive you for cheating on me, but only because you were horribly tortured by a Middle Eastern Dominatrix. For some reason after finding that out I just couldn't be mad at you any more" she told me "but if you break my heart again I'll rip yours out of your chest and crush it with my bare hands".

That sounded both fair, and totally terrifying.

"Now come back to bed" Colette insisted.

Which was exactly what I did. There were still things that didn't make sense, but I could worry about them later.

It wasn't in till after I'd laid down that I remembered something else I'd done, something that drunk people sometimes did. I was so embarrassed by the memory that I had to hide my face in Colette's massive boobs. Not that I really needed a reason to do that.

(Line Break)

 **Gotham - Last Night**

In her penthouse apartment Talia al Ghul sat on her lounge chair, while reading something that had been published back when the printing press was still being perfected Suddenly, her mobile phone rang and, without looking at her phone, she picked it up and pressed it against her ear.

"Hello?" she said to it.

Upon hearing a voice she frowned

"Yes, Azrael" she said.

Talia listened for a while.

"That's nice " she said in a annoyed tone "Look, I'm busy with something, maybe we can..."

She stopped to listen.

"Calm down" she then had to say.

She then listened some more.

"Call me again when your sober" she told the caller.

Talia then put the phone done and groaned slightly in annoyance. Talia then looked to her left to see Ra's al Ghul looking at her. He had entered the room while she was on the phone.

"Your taste in men has not improved, daughter" he calmly stated.

Talia resisted the urge to sigh again.

"I did not think he would become so attached" she told her father.

Ra's had a different view.

"I'm not at all surprised that it happen, Talia" Ra's replied "You did use the potion after all".

Talia was regretting that, but she wasn't too worried as she hadn't given the Angel that many doses.

"Perhaps a dip in the Lazarus Pit should help him see The Light, Ra's said with a smile "It would interesting to see what effect it would have".

Talia did not approve of that idea, and upon thinking about it further Ra's found that he had concerns. If Azrael was the host to an angelic being, unlikely as that seemed, then putting in a Lazarus Pit could have unforeseeable results. But if it worked then he would have unkillable assassin. It could be worth the risks.

He wasn't concerned about the so called: Angel of Death, not going along with his plans. he was sure that his daughter could bring Azrael back under his control if she wished. It wasn't as if he had anyone else.


	30. Chapter 30

Author Note

This is not a great chapter, but it is needed for the story. I have something much better in the works that should make for this.

 **DC Gothic - Young Justice - Killer Plants**

 **Mount Justice**

"You know they're a couple, right?" Robin whispered when Artemis and Wally walked into the main room.

It did seem that way, they weren't holding hands, but they kept stealing glances at each other, and there was a lot of smiling going on. I wondered if I ever looked that silly when Colette was around.

"I believe we knew before they did" Kaldur replied.

Megan had pretty much decided they would be shortly after arrow girl had been made part of the group. For such a seemingly inconcent person she was rather manipulative.

"Do we tell them?" Robin asked.

The team leader shook his head.

"It is not our place" Kaldur answered.

The subject was then changed.

"So if Zatara's our babysitter of the week, why's he still here? And why is he eating my snacks?!" Wally asked

He was talking about Captain Marvel, who was currently munching on a granola bar. However before anyone could address that subject the computer spoke.

 _'Recognized, Batman'_

The Dark Knight didn't speak to us, he simply gestured to the 2D hologram screens.

"Computer, National News" Batman commanded.

The screen came on and showed Cat Grant, a rather well known reporter.

 _"While the initial attack was short lived, it seems that Metropolis was only granted a short reprieve. And despite the intervention of Superman, and the Justice League, there seems to be no end in sight"_ Miss Grant was saying.

By the looks of things Metropolis was under attack by giant plants, which even for us was a bit strange.

"Should we get out there?" Robin asked his father figure.

Batman shook his head.

"No" he then said "The League will soon have the situation under control, that's not why I'm here. According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus Blockbuster formula to Cobra".

I didn't remember that, but to be fair I'd had a lot to deal with recently.

"Who combined it with Bane's Venom to create Cobra Venom" Wally told us.

"Which the brain used to make his animal army." Robin then supplied

"And upgrade Wolf." Conner added.

There was more to be said.

"The brain also used inhibitor collars, like the ones at Belle Reve penitentiary." M'gann finished.

It appeared that I had missed out a lot, but to be fair I had been off doing my own thing for a while now. My team needed my attention.

"So these plants are on Cobra Venom?" I asked.

Batman nodded.

"I had Green Lantern run an analysis using his Power Ring" he told the group "The vines cellulous did contain trace amounts of something that appears to be a modifed version of Cobra Venom".

This was another piece of the puzzle, yet knowing it still didn't help me see what was really going on.

"These cannot be coincidences. All these unrelated criminals cooperating with each other" Kaldur stated "There must be connection between them".

My theory was that there was a group of super villians out there, that were controlling lesser villians and making them do things. Us hero types were only seeing parts of the overall plan, which was why it was all so confusing.

"Exactly. Its now clear our enemies have formed some kind of Secret Society of Super Villains. The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning. Batman told us.

A Legion of Doom, could be behind all this, but such groups normally wanted to take over the world and destroy the League. Something about this Secret Society of Super Villain didn't seem to fit with that M.O. There was something more complex going on.

"You got that right" said Robin "The plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, London"

Robin was still listing cities when the 2D hologram screens became filled with static.

"Dude?" Wally asked the Boy Wonder "What did you do?"

Bird Boy soon replied.

"Its not me! Someone's cutting the satellite signal. All satellite signals." Robin informed us.

That was the Joker appeared on the screen and he had everyone's attention.

 _"Ladies and Gentlemen, we interrupt your regularly scheduled mayhem to bring you this. Important announcement_ " the Clown Prince of Crime said.

He then turned the camera to show a group of super villians.

 _"From the Injustice League!"_

One of the other super villians then spoke.

 _"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities. If you wish to save them, a ransom of 100 billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no Time Limit. But, the longer you government's wait..."_

The camera then moved away from a guy I figured was Count Vertigo and faced the Joker again

 _"The more we get to have our jollies!"_

Then the clown stated laughing maniacally and the screen went back to being static.

"Roger that Aquaman, the UN will prepare the ransom as a fall back. But it won't come to that" Batman was now saying into his comm link

Next Robin rewinded the video and paused it so we could all see this so called Injustice League.

"Count Vertigo, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Cheetah, Ultra Humanite, Atomic Skull, Black Atom, Wotan? Probably behind everything and everyone we've faced" Robin said.

I had a problem beliving this.

"There's you secret society" Wally said.

"Not so secret anymore." Artemis muttered.

There was still more to be said.

"Perhaps after India, they realized we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding any longer." Kaldur suggested.

When I laughed everyone turned to me.

"Come on you don't think those guys are behind everything we've been dealing with these last few months, do you?" I asked them".

Apprantly they did.

"The Justice League will handle the plants" the Dark Knight was now saying "I have a different job in mind for this group".

"Aw, man!" Wally whined.

No one else commented, we all listened when Batman spoke.

"With the plants attacking so many locations simultaneously there must be a central control system. Your mission is to destroy it" Batman told us.

That was when this group's babysitter finally said something.

"You realize what you're really asking them to do?" Zatara said.

I got the impression that everyone did.

"They're ready." Batman stated.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Wally asked

Artemis punched him in the arm for being stupid.

"Hello, Wally! If the big guns are out fighting giant plants, who do you think we'll be fighting?" Artemis asked him.

Artemis then pointed at the Injustice League who were still being displayed on the screens.

"Well, Batman, I trust you're correct." Zatara said.

I then spent a moment wondering where Zatanna was, she was Zatara's daughter, or something like that, and was a member of the team so she should be here. However I didn't think on that for long as my team soon entered the room. Aside from Power Girl, they all looked a little worse for wear. They'd not been able to recover from last nights drinking binge nearly as quickly as I had. But they looked ready to fight.

"Coordinates locked in" Robin I then heard Robin say "They're in the Louisiana Bayou"

I held up my Mother Box so it would scan the coordinates as I would need to check out that sight sooner or later.

"We are on our way." Kaldur then said.

With that the team, along with Captain Marvel, raced away leaving the Outcasts behind, which was stupid of them as I had the ability to create boom tubes which could have gotten us all to the Bayou in a matter of seconds.

"Are we going with them?" Red Arrow asked me.

I snorted.

"Hell no" I said "This Injustic League and their giant plants are just a distration for something else or a way to divert attention from the real threat. We're going to find out who is really behind all this".

That lab in India, which had been run by the Brain, would be a good place to start. I was just about to mention that, when Batman got my attention.

"What makes you think the Injustice Soceity isn't behind the strange activity?" he asked.

There were a number of reasons.

"Well to start with I don't see The Joker working this well with others, at least not for as long and who ever is behind these plants has been working behind the scenes for months now" I said to the Dark Knight "Poison Ivy I can see doing something like this, but she wants to get rid of humans and have plants rule the Earth so why bother with ransom, she'd just have them destory the cites. And whose the mastermind behind all this?"

I had more to say.

"I'm not saying the these Injustice folks aren't behind the giant plants, and that they couldn't have organised this, but I just don't see what links them" I went on to say "it doesn't seem right".

Batman then took a step towards me.

"Be that as it may" he said "I still want your team back up the others. Once the current crisis is dealt with then you help me invistage whoever might be behind this".

Rather than reply I opened a boom tube to back to our base. We would need some time to prepare before wen't into battle, but that wouldn't delay us for long since boom tubes were way faster than even a bioship.

(Line Break)

 **Louisiana Bayou**

I'd purposly opened a boom tube some distance away from the source of the giant plants for two valid reason. The first of which was that boom tubes were loud and bright, so there was no chance of us sneaking up the bad guys if we just appeared that way. The second reason was the give the other team time to get here. In fact given the sheer speed of the bioship they could have gotten here first.

However I didn't spend much time thinking about that because as soon as we got close to the enemy base the forest came alive and attacked us.

"Well hello." Ivy said as her vines wrapped us.

Behind her Humanite jumped down from a tree and I could see that he was aiming a rather large gun at us.

"And good bye" Ivy then said

Before Humanite could fire his gun it was blasted to pieces by Blackfire who as it turned out had her own version of heat vision. Which she then used to free us.

"What?!" Ivy yelled

I smiled under my mask as I cut vines in half with one of my swords. The bad guys had clearly underesitmated us, and now they would pay the price for their foolishness.

"Kill them, kill them all!" I heard Count Vertigo order.

I turned to see Black Adam charge straight at us but he was hit by a large beam of energy that Blackfire sent from her hands.

"Insolent brats!" Vertigo yelled

I then saw Humanite leap into the air, no doubt intending to crush someone under his bulky form, only Power Girl leaped up to met him and she sent the ape crashing into the ground. I would have watching more of the fight, but I had to deal with Ivy and her vines.

"Why you!" the plant woman yelled as I cut through more of her vines "How dare you hurt my babies".

I saw her eyes widen as Ivy hit the ground. My sword had passed threw without doing any phyiscal damage, as it turned out she was still human enough to undergo the neurochemical process that took place when my swords came into contact with a person. Right now she was seeing all her sins and suffering a lot of guilt.

"Where are the others..." I said to myself.

Humanite was thrown at my feet before I could finish wondering what had happened to the other team, he was badly bruised and beaten. Power Girl had not got easy on the ape.

"The monkey bit me!" Colette complained.

Her face then went from angry to worried.

"Does this count as animal cruelty, he was a villain?" she wondered.

Perhaps I would have commented, but that was when Ivy started moving.

"I... Need to..." Ivy said while extending her hand towards the big tree like thing that the villains were attempting to protect "Save..."

The sound of anything else she might have to to say was blocked out when Roy sent a powerful explosive arrow into the base of the tree thing.

In reponse to the noise Atomic Skull and the Joker came running out of the building.

"Children, children foiled our plan?!" Joker yelled

Rather than reply I shouted some orders.

"Take Atomic Skull down and then find the others!" I yelled "The Joker is mine".

I'd been waiting for a chance to do something about the Clown Prince of Crime. I had thought I would have to wait until I took over for Batman, assuming that ever happened, before I make sure the Joker never hurt anyone else, but the universe had presented me with an oppurinty, and I wasn't going to pass it up.

The clown tried to stab with a knife, but I moved in such a way that the small blade went passed me. Then I grabbed the wrisit of the hand that held the weapon and squeezed it hard enough that the Joker dropped his knife. Next I rammed by elbow into the crook's face hard enough that his nose was soon gushing blood. Which of course made the mad man laugh.

"Come on Angel-boy, let's dance" he said.

The Joker took out a gun, and he almost shot me with before I reacted. My action was disarm him with my sword, only this time the blade didn't phase through it remained soild and removed the hand, cauterising the wound. This time the Joker didn't find the pain amusing. He also didn't laugh when I kicked him to the ground.

"I'm going to do to you what any rational person would have done years ago" I said to Joker as I switched my energy weapon to full power and aimed it at crooks head "Which is kill you".

I aimed the gun at the clown's head and found that I couldn't pull the trigger. There was something stopping me, some part of me that refused to let my finger move,

"Can't do it, can you, Angel-boy?" the Joker mocked.

He was right, I couldn't. Azrael was still in my head somewhere and he wouldn't let me break my promise to Batman.

"Come on, kill me!" yelled the Joker.

I still couldn't, but thankfully I had other options. I switched the gun to the stun setting and shot the Joker before opening up a Boom Tube to the Citadel that had until recently held Starfire, then I picked up the Clown Prince of Crime and threw him into the wormhole. The alien slavers could have him.

(Line Break)

When I hooked up with the rest of the Outcasts and my old team I discovered that Kaldur and his lot had in fact gotten here before my group. Only they'd gotten captured and had to resort to something drastic in order to free themselves.

"What were you thinking?" shouted Kid Flash at the rest of his team. "You let him put on the Helmet. Nabu… will never release him now. Kaldur will be trapped inside Doctor Fate forever…"

Then, without warning, Doctor Fate removed the Helmet, and Aqualad returned.

"Nabu let you go?" Wally asked, clearly not believing his own eyes.

Aqualad smiled.

"He almost did not," the Atlantian explained. "But your friend Kent was most helpful. He says hello".

By the time that little drama was done with, Batman had turned up. He'd just appeared as so often did, only this time he'd brought some other members of the league with him.

"You're done here," he said. "The super villain secret society has been neutralized. And as for your performance…"

The Dark Knight let the statement hang in the air for a moment before finishing it.

"It was satisfactory" he said.

He then turned to me.

"Where's the Joker?" he demanded to know.

Behide my mask I smiled.

"In space" I answered.

Batman wanted to know more.

"Where in space?" he said with a growl.

I soon answered him.

"Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy" I told him "He's not dead if that's what your wondering".

Well he might be, or he could just be in a cell. Either way it wasn't my problem.

"Bring him back" Batman demanded.

I stared into the eyes of the Dark Knight.

"No" I said.

We stared at each other for while, until I turned away and opened a boom tube to the Monsatry. I gestured for my team to follow, and they did.


	31. Raiders

Author Note

I spent all night writing this. I hope you all enjoy it.

DC Gothic - Young Justice

Raiders

Outcast Base. Outside Gotham.

My team and I had just returned from a very successful mission, for once nothing had gone wrong, and no one had gotten hurt, or at least no one in my group had.

As such I was in a good mood, and had decided to go down to the wine cellar in order to fetch a nice bottle of wine. The monks who had called this place home for so many years, before being wiped out by the League of Shadows, had quite the collection of vintages and since everything they'd owned was now mine that meant all the fine wines were mine as well.

I was just thinking about what would go well with the pasta dish I planned to cook when I heard a noise. It sounded like something heavy was being moved around, and I slowly moved across the cellar in order to get a look at what was causing the disturbance.

A rack of wine bottles had been moved aside to show the entrance to what turned to be an underground cavern, which I hadn't even known was there, and inside the underground space some robot was moving around a lot of equipment.

Slowly I took out my energy weapon, and I set it to its highest level, at his setting I could blast my way into a bank vault, so it should destroy a single robot with ease.

As I sneaked up on the metal figure I realised that it wasn't a robot at all, it was in fact a cyborg, actually it was Cyborg, who was a member of the Justice League. Once I had realised this I switch my weapon back to the stun setting and put it away.

"Hello" I greeted.

Cyborg gently put down a large metal box before turning around to address me.

"Don't mind me" he said "I'm just installing some equipment for Batman".

That answered some of my questions, but it also created some more.

"Okay then" I replied.

At this point I was willing to let the mostly robot guy get on with things while I made dinner. Mostly because I had no idea what to say him that wasn't a bunch of questions that Batman was better qualified to answer.

"He's waiting for you to call him" Cyborg was now saying "You can use the holocom over there".

I looked over at what the metal man had been pointing at and saw two circles on the ground. They were off to the side well out of the way of everything else.

"Just stand in the one closest to you" Cyborg instructed.

I did that and for a moment nothing happened. Then a life sized hologram that was partly transparent took form. It was an image of Batman, and for for a chance he had his hood down.

"There you are" he said "I've been wanting to talk to you for hours".

I shrugged.

"We've only been back from our latest mission a few moments ago" I replied.

Batman nodded before speaking again.

"Yes, it went very well" he praised "I'm pleased by the results".

I blinked, and then blinked again.

"You're pleased?" I asked, sounding a little concerned "Is that even possible?".

Batman ignored my question.

"I assume you didn't have time to read the paper today or see the news" he said "If you had you'd know that Bruce Wayne was elected as mayor of Gotham".

While I'd known that this could happen I hadn't been as prepared as I should have. I knew this because I wasn't totally able to handle this information.

"So that means..." was all I was able to say.

The Dark Knight spelled it out for me.

"It means that I will only be able to devote a small amount of time and energy to being the Batman, both as the protector of Gotham and a member of the League" he said "It also means that while you aren't as prepared as I would like, you have to step up and take my place as best you can".

Given that Robin was sixteen he couldn't stand in for Gotham Grim Guardian, but that didn't mean I was the most suitable for the job.

"Why me?" I asked "Really, please tell me".

Batman looked me right in the eye before saying anything.

"The main reason is because what I do would get someone else killed" he told me "With you that's not an issue".

That was cold logic, but it did make sense. I couldn't die so the job couldn't get me killed and the Dark Knight really didn't like it when people died.

"Asides from that" he went on to say "You've already been trained well and still have room to grow, meaning your skills will improve as I mentor you. You're also more intelligent that you might think, and unlike me you are not ageing, or at least you won't be for much longer".

By that I assumed he meant that time was catching up with him. Batman wasn't an old man, but he wasn't exactly young any more. As for me I would most likely age a little, as men didn't reach their peak physically until about twenty-one, and then I would stop ageing at all.

"I have no intention of being re-elected" the caped crusader was now saying "So in five years you'll be free to do what ever you wish with your life, and you'll still be a young man".

It did all make sense. I'd just been thinking that maybe Batman saw something in me, now it sounded like I was simply suitable as well avaible.. Not that this bothered me too much as he was right. What was five years to an immortal? And I would benefit from the on the job experience and his mentoring. By the time I was done I could be the greatest crime fighter there ever was.

"I arranged to have Cyborg install everything you'll need in an underground cavern below your base" Batman told me "Since you'll be protecting Gotham as Azrael you should have your own operation. It should all be set up soon, and while I will be busy I should be able to spare an hour or two every week to train you".

Hopefully he'd teach what all these machines did, because I didn't have a clue what they were for, and Cyborg was setting up a lot of them.

"And you will be joining the League at the same time as Red Arrow, so I will need some time to prepare you for that. This also means you'll need to decide what will be done with your team" Batman said "You'll be busy so perhaps Red Arrow can take over as leader while also helping out the League".

That could work. Although if I wasn't in the team I was unsure if Colette would want to stay in the group, she might go back to the other lot.

"Robin will be around should you need his help" the dark knight reminded me "but I think he may go his own way soon".

At some point he'd want to become Nightwing and move on to his own city, however that might not be for a couple of more years as he wasn't eighteen yet.

"I need you to come to cave as soon as you can" Batman instructed "I have a mission for you and your team, and we have a lot more to discuss".

Indeed we did. For starters now that I was Gotham's protector I would need to get to know the city a lot better. I would also need a new identify, one that would allow me to investigate goings on within the city when I wasn't in my armour and wearing my mask.

"I'll be there soon" I told the caped crusader.

After saying that I stepped out of the circle and the hologram faded away. Then I made my way upstairs so I could tell my team what had happened.

(Line Break)

Iceberg Lounge. Gotham.

It was a cold night in the Iceberg Lounge, so much so that I had to wonder of Mr. Freeze was using one of his ice weapons on the city. Inside the club it was barely any warmer, but that wasn't because of the temperature.

The Iceberg Lounge girls were finishing with their dance, their fishnet stocking legs were a tantalising slight to the men here, however Roy and I paid them no heed. Mostly because we had way hotter girlfriends and partly because I was pretty sure Black Canary was undercover among the dancers so it best not to pay her any attention.

I didn't know if she was here on some League business or because Batman wanted someone more experienced to keep an eye on while we did our work, but it hardly mattered and if the shit did the fan I'd be glad of her presence here.

Penguin, who hadn't won the race to become leader of this city, and his men sat casually a large table drinking wine. They were waiting there for their appointment with me. It wouldn't do for the new mayor of Gotham to be seen with the crime lord, so Bruce Wayne had sent me, his new assistant, aka me, to meet Cobblepot.

I'd brought Roy Harper, aka Red Arrow a long as back up, and to fit the image we were both wearing very expensive business suits, and while we were wearing sunglasses at night while indoors I actually felt rather cool.

Also the three female members of the team were close by, ready to come storming in should they be needed. Although I pretty sure that Jade aka Cheshire, was close by. As a trained assassin she knew how to blend in.

"Greetings, gentlemen" said the crime boss "Please join us".

He might enjoy pretending to be civil, however Roy wasn't going to play along.

"Alright Penguin, you know what we want," growled Red Arrow "Give us the diamond you stole or things will get ugly".

Considering he had two horny girlfriends he should really be more relaxed.

"I will, once you hand over the money" replied the Penguin, while tapping his umbrella on the floor.

Carefully I placed the suitcase I'd been carrying and I opened it in such a way that only Cobblepot and his minions would be able to see what was inside. It was full of cash. Thankfully it wasn't my money.

"Now the diamond" I instructed.

A small black box was handed over and I opened it just long enough to confirm that there was indeed a sparkly thing inside. I then closed the box and held on tight to it.

"Gentlemen, that concludes our business" Cobblepot said as one of his minions took the suitcase "I trust you can see yourselves out".

I was actually rather stunned by the total lack of a double cross, so it took me a moment before I was able to get my legs moving towards the exit. Once I got moving I didn't stop until Roy and myself were inside the car, which moments later was driven away from the club.

(Line Break)

Aeroplane. Somewhere Over The Middle East.

As the Wayne Enterprises jet flew to our destination, Jerusalem, which was where the diamond belonged, as it had some importance to the Jewish people, I busied myself by over old case files. Batman had put together more than enough reading material for me during this trip, and that was good because it had been a very long flight.

Given the choice I would have Boom Tubed to Israel, but that wasn't an option as the Dark Knight had 'borrowed' my Mother Box for a Justice League Mission. I figured he was going to the Citadel to recover to Joker so he could throw the Clown Prince of Crime back into Arkham.

Which was annoying, but no more than that as I was sure that I would have another chance to send the super crook away from Earth. Once I was a member of the League as well Gotham's protector I planned to send a few people off world.

Until then I'd keep my mouth shut and do the work. Besides I had other things on mind, like what to do with my team.

Blackfire had disappeared soon after Jade had declared that she was pregnant, and because Cheshire now had a baby on the way she understandably didn't want to put herself in danger, as such this delivery job would be her last mission. Roy would be joining the League along with myself at the end of the year. That just left Colette, and I had told her she should go back the other team.

This had not made her happy, so for the entire flight she'd refused to talk to me, and while this had allowed me to get some research done, it had meant I'd failed to join the mile high club.

"So what the big deal with that diamond, anyway?" Colette asked.

So far the plane had cross the Atlantic, stopped off at London to refuel, and then had stopped again in Italy, before going on to the Middle East, and only now was my girlfriend saying something to me.

I was tempted to be childish by pretending that I hadn't heard her, but now that I was subbing for the freaking Batman I needed to be a bit more mature and level headed.

"Truthfully I don't know much about it" I told her "The diamond's got a long history, however most of it is only know to the many Rabbi who have taken care of it over the centuries. During World War 2 it was in the hands of the Nazis for a while as they though it had special powers, and it swapped hands a few times during the different Crusades. Other than that its just a diamond".

It was worth a lot of money, many times more that what Bruce Wayne had paid for it, and he was returning it as a good will gesture to the people of Israel, which I guessed would somehow benefit Wayne Enterprises somewhere down the road. Which given that I worked for Wayne Enterprises as Bruce Wayne's special assistant might also benefit me at some point.

"I think we're delivering it just so we're out of the way while Cyborg finishing up at our base" I then said "That and Batman's too busy being mayor to do it himself".

This did feel like a milk run.

"So wanna have sex in the back?" Collete offered "There's even a bed, and I've decided to forgive you for trying to boss me about".

She was mostly likely just really bored at this point.

"We can hear you!" Roy called out from the other set of passenger seats.

Given how loud he and Jade were when in bed I decided that his comment could not be ignored.

"I..."

A explosion cut me off, and soon after that I was far too busy to do any more talking.

(Line Break)

Somewhere In The Middle East.

The hot desert sun lit our way as Colette and I were led through a mountain pass by a group of Bialyan soldiers who were all armed with AK-47s, who were in turn led by a scary looking bloke who had introduced himself to us as Ubu.

That bastard, who I knew worked for Ra's al Ghul, had put some kind of collars around Power Girl while were both still partly buried under the wreckage. They prevented us from using any kind of super powers, I couldn't even use magic right now and Power Girl was equally as helpless, if anything she looked worse off than me, but she wasn't use to being normal like I was.

She was sweating profusely and cursing herself for choosing to wear leather pants and a jacket. I didn't mind so much as the pants really looked good on her, the way they hugged the curves of her ass was wonderful.

Plus the butt was a nice distraction from thinking about what could have happened to Roy and Jade. I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that they were most likely dead, although I held out hope as this was a DC verse, people survived all sorts of things in this world without being super tough or immortal.

The only thing that could have distracted me from the sight of my girlfriend's rear end, was what we saw once we made our way into the valley that until now been hidden from sight by the mountains we'd very nearly crashed into.

"I always wondered where Ra's built his fortress" I said

No one spoke as we continued down the mountain path with the sun still beating down on us with its harsh heat, even I was getting thirsty by no and I was starting to wonder if Colette was panting like a dog or I was just hearing things.

Slowly we got closer and closer to the giant temple, which was old looking, and somehow new, what with large square pillars, and yet it wasn't ancient. I doubted it was more than a couple of years old, it was perhaps a recreation.

It took us another ten minutes, even at a march, to get to the temple, the path had been as unforgiving like the sun above. There were steps leading up to the entrance and there was the Demon's Head himself, Ra's al Ghul. He stood above us like a statue and he looked at me with eyes that seemed to see into my eternal soul. It was creepy.

I also noted that Ra's al Ghul was a tall and daunting man with green eyes. He had black hair with gray streaks. Aside from that he had a long black moustache and wild, black eyebrows.

He was dressed in a regal manner, with the majority of his clothes covered by a high-collared green cloak with large gold buttons. Underneath, he wore black vest with golden hems, a white undershirt, with a golden sash over it. Then there were some black pants and knee-high black boots, which unlike unlike everything he had on were quite stylish in my view.

"Mr al Ghul" I greeted.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a tall Asian woman dropped from the top of the temple and landed right in front of me.

"And this is Lady Shiva," Ra's introduced.

I had no idea why she was here, or why she'd felt the need to make such an impressive entrance, and nor did I care.

"Please, enter my home" said Ra's "So that we may talk about that diamond of yours, as well as other matters".

I'd forgotten that I was still carrying it. The diamond wasn't very large so the box fitted into the pocket of my suit jacket.

"You killed half my team for a shiny rock?" I asked in shock.

The Demon's Head was not pleased by my question.

"Boy, you have no way of defending yourself against my ninjas and you have no way of escape. Refusal would be stupid" Ra's stated "As is asking pointless questions".

Well he wasn't wrong, I was currently helpless, but I would only play along for a time. Sooner or later this collar would come off and then I'd unleash hell upon them all. There was an Old One spell I'd been wanting to try for a while now, only I hadn't as it what it would do a person was too horrible to think about, but Ra's had made me mad enough to try it anyway.

"What ever you say" I told the old bastard.

Collete grumbled and stomped past Ra's al Ghul towards the entrance,

"Let's just get into the shade" she said.

Suddenly, Ubu appeared before her.

"Only Ra's al Ghul may enter first" stated Ubu with an arrogant glare.

Thankfully for my girlfriend the old sod soon entered the fortress so we were able to follow, and finally get out of the sun.

(Line Break)

Crash Sight. Somewhere In The Middle East.

Meanwhile back in the sand dunes Roy Harper attempted to repair the plane's radio, only it wasn't going well as the thing was in pieces and his partner was distracting him. Also it didn't help that he'd had to bury the pilot of the plane, that guy had been a mess.

"Did you have to strip down to your underwear?" he questioned.

She had her reasons.

"It's hot. I'm sweaty and we don't have any water" replied Jade with a straight face "So we need to stay cool".

Roy shook his head and got back to work. He needed to call for back up, and if that didn't work he was going to have to go after his team's leader and that guy's girlfriend. Hopefully Jade would put some clothes on, if and when, it was time to go do that.

(Line Break)

Ra's Fortress. Somewhere In The Middle East.

The temple was dark, yet I could see the intimidating statues of Ra's al Ghul, and titanic pillars at the sides of the hall, it was all generally foreboding.

"So Gothic, are we screwed?" asked Colette.

By the looks of things were more screwed than the entire porn industry.

"Don't worry, I always have a plan for this sort of situation," I answered.

Which was a lie, and hopefully a comforting one.

"And that plan is?" Power Girl wondered.

Before I could lie again some doors opened to reveal Talia al Ghul, who leaning against a pillar and she had the kind of smile on her face that I hadn't seen before, at least not while he had her clothes on.

"Hello, Father," she greeted, while still smiling "Hello, Azrael".

Then she kissed me, it was long and passionate, at least for her, Talia even moaned lightly before stepping away.

"Bitch" stated Colette.

Before a cat fight could start up the group was moving again, soldiers and all, and we walked into a large dining room which was mostly filled by a long stone table that covered in exotic food. The room was also decorated by fine looking curtains and some works of art, however I paid no attention to those as it was the people in the room which mattered.

We all took a seat at the titanic table of stone, and Talia attempted to sit next to me only to be intercepted by a pissed off looking Power Girl. If her powers had been working I was pretty sure she would demolished the entire fortress by now, as it was Talia settled for sitting across from me.

Ra's sat in the end of the head of the table with Ubu standing besides him, and he seemed to be enjoying the little drama going on between the two females. I was mostly confused by it as I knew Talia just saw me a toy boy, one she'd gotten bored of rather quickly. I could only assume that seeing me with Power Girl was bringing out the jealous bitch in her.

"Your date seems protective of you, Azrael," remarked Talia, "Are you some favourite client of hers?. She does look like a hooker".

I'd have said that she was more 'biker chick' than hooker. And she didn't dress like that for me, Colette was rebelling against her mother. Power Girl was the daughter of a proud Amazon woman, a warrior culture that didn't need men, and Colette was trying to be as unlike that as possible. Although I was unsure how the 'biker chick' look was anti-amazon.

"At least I'm not some dried up old MILF" my girlfriend replied.

Her saying that made me wonder if Damien Wayne existed in this version of the DC Verse, if so he could be around here somewhere, and that would make Talia a MILF, I also wondered of my girlfriend knew what I MILF was.

"Don't make me separate you two" I told the two females "We have something important to discuss here".

Mostly I was wondering what the big deal with the diamond was.

"More important than me!?" both of the women said in two different tones of voices.

Now I knew it was time to change to subject.

"Ra's" I said while turning to the head of the table "So why shoot us down and capture us?"

The leader of the League of Shadow's shook his head.

"I did not have you shot down" he said, between bites of food "There was a bomb on the plane".

Given what I knew of Batman it was safe to assume that the bomb had been placed on the plane either in London or Italy, as there was no way the Dark Knight would have been so careless as to put us a plane he hadn't ensured was totally safe.

"You are here because I, along with some friends, have decided that we require our own team of young and talented people" Ra's told me.

At this point I was eating too, I didn't think the Demon's Head would put anything in the food, not when he couldn't be sure what plate I'd take something from. Besides I was more or less helpless right now, and he had Collete to ensure I behaved.

"And to have back the woman of your dreams" Talia added.

Well she was very full of herself, and I was sure that she was only interested in me again because I was with Power Girl, and perhaps because I was sort of replacing Batman. That had to have gotten Ra's and his daughter thinking there was something special about me, and they were right to think so, but no for the reasons they might think.

"Too late! He's already got me!" snapped Power Girl.

Ra's sighed, clearly the little drama was no longer amusing him.

"My friends and I are opposed to the Justice League, we have our plans for humanity, plans that will led to mankind taking its rightful place in the galaxy".

If what the Demon's Head was saying happened to be true, then the organisation of super crook, which I had suspected of existing for a while now, had far more than world domination in mind.

Also I was surprised to hear Ra's talk about galactic affairs, from what I understood about the League of Shadows leader he seemed to want the world to take steps backwards, not forwards.

"Given that Talia is suppose to be running Lex Corp, I guess that Lex Luthor is a member of your club" I said before sipping some water.

The Justice League was trying to counter Ra's and his pals. I'd recently learned that like Lex Luthor, Arther Queen aka Green Arrow was also trying to become President of the USA. I wondered how much the JL knew about the group that I was now starting to learn something about. There were too many secrets.

"If you join us you will learn just how many allies I have" the Demon's Head told me "I chose you to be the leader of our special ops team. You would be free to recruit whom you desired, and you would receive training from Lady Shiva herself".

That explained why that ninja woman was here, and why she'd made such a flashy entrance, she'd been showing off her skills. Not that she needed to as while I didn't know much about her I did know that she was one of Batman's most skilled foes. However he'd beaten her, and he was offering to train me as such the offer wasn't so tempting.

"Well?" Ra's al Ghul asked "What is your answer?"

I had a question that needed an answer before in turn I'd answer him. Well actually I had many questions, but one would do for now.

"Why me?" I asked.

Ra's smiled ever so slightly, which again was creepy.

"Because you've been looking for us" he said "Yes, I know all about how you've been trying to piece things together to find out who is really behind everything. Intrepid little detective that you are".

That couldn't be the only reason, and when the Demon's Head didn't say anything else I assumed that his reasoning was much like Batman's. I had already been trained, but still had room to grow, I was skilled in many areas and I couldn't die. I'd always be at my peak. Someone like that had to be tempting to have on your side.

I then spent a few moments giving the job offer some serious consideration. It was tempting, but Ra's really couldn't offer me anything Batman hadn't already. I could gain power, wealth and influence with either the Justice League or the League of Shadows, and I had friends on the good guy side.

The real deciding factor was that if I worked for Ra's he'd want me to kill people, and morality aside I physically couldn't kill people. I'd tried to kill the Joker and had failed. Given that limitation I simply couldn't be an assassin, were as while working for Batman it was actually a good thing as he didn't want me killing people.

"I refuse your offer" I finally said.

Suddenly, ninjas who were clad in black leather jumped down and drew their swords.

"I will make you see the light, boy" said Ra's

The way he used the word 'light' seemed off somehow, but since I had to deal with their being suddenly ninjas I didn't have much time to think about it.

"And we will save this world!" announced Ra's dramatically, getting up and raising his arms into the air, "The power of God will...".

He suddenly stopped.

"I am getting ahead of myself" he then said "You'll see in good time".

The Demon's Head turned to Ubu next.

"Prepare the boy for the Lazarus pit" Ra's ordered "If he resists, kill the girl".

Soon the ninjas were dragging us away, and I didn't dare resist due to all the swords pointed at my sexual partner, not that I could have anyway.

(Line Break)

Not long after dinner had ended I'd been taken to a cell, been stripped down to my boxer shorts, and now I was being lead down a hallway by two Arabian looking guards who both had scimitars, they were local talent. The ninjas were around here somewhere I assumed.

Soon I entered large chamber that had more over sized pillars in it, but what really got my attention was a lime-green glow coming from the back of the chamber. I knew it was a pit of Lazarus juice. In front of the pit was Ra's al Ghul, standing there like a statue once more, at least until he spoke.

"My boy, I'm glad you could make it," he said calmly.

I was not.

"Of course I made it" I retorted grumpily "I wasn't exactly given a choice in the matter".

Via another door, Colette was pulled into the room by Talia al Ghul, she looked beaten and bruised, which pissed me off. She fell to the floor, once Talia let her go.

"They…didn't even ask…me any…questions…" she was able to say.

Had I been able to I would have gone over to comfort her. Alas I was being kept in place by the guys with the fancy swords and turbans. Still I was able to see that Collete's jacket was gone and that her top was ruined. Normally that would be hot, but there was nothing sexy about her appearance right now.

"Actually, I asked her where she got her outfit," corrected Talia.

Now I was sure that one day I'd kill Talia al Ghul. I'd find a way.

"This is my Lazarus Pit" Ra's began to explain, while ignoring everyone other than myself "I have been able to live for hundreds of years because of the liquid I concocted in my years as an alchemist. The only downside was it would lose its power once used".

I hadn't known he had made them. I'd thought they were natural, or perhaps the work of some ancient people. I also considered that Ra's al Ghul could be lying about its source.

"Was?" I then enquired.

It had taken me a moment, but I'd registered the use of the word 'was'.

"Yes, was," replied Ra's calmly "I have found a way to recharge the Lazarus Pit over and over again. It requires a sacrifice".

I didn't like the sound of that, and I didn't like what I saw next. A couple of more local men brought in two women, who also looked local. The men slit open the necks of the women and collected the blood in wooden bowls, which was then poured into the goo.

"You monsters!" shouted Colette.

She was ignored, and the process took place two more times, meaning six dead women in all. Even I was feeling ill when it ended.

"I am going to help you see things my way, by," further explained Ra's "A dip in the Lazarus Pit should help".

Now I was really worried. I was immortal so I had no idea what the goo would do to me. It might even kill me, or make me mortal, or it could explode, or anything really.

"The waters only work if the user is..." Ra's started to say.

That was when someone stabbed me, and the last thing I heard as it started to get dark was.

"Dying".

(Line Break)

Red Arrow was currently sneaking around looking for Azrael and Power Girl, while his girlfriend did something stupid he didn't doubt. As he looked around the complex, while hiding in the shadows from passing guards who moved about at random intervals, he heard the sounds of children crying.

Roy followed the noise and crept quietly towards the source. When he found it he was shocked at what he witnessed. What he saw was hundreds of starved looking children who picking up rocks and carting them away, while large shirtless men whipped their backs for the slightest mistake.

"This is horrible" he whispered.

To his surprise someone else spoke.

"Yes I know" said a female voice.

Roy spun around to see Lady Shiva, who was dressed ready for a fight.

"My heart bleeds for them" Shiva lied.

Red Arrow decided then that someone would bleed for this, and that he would be the one to make it happen. So with that in mind he attacked Lady Shiva.

It did not go so well.

(Line Break)

The next thing I knew after being stabbed was waking up in a cell with Power Girl sitting next to me.

"Did I miss something?" I requested to know.

Colette seemed unnerved by my presence.

"Are you okay?" she asked back "I mean are you Gothic?. Please don't be Azrael".

I had no idea why she was asking me that.

"Aren't I always both?" I wondered.

Azrael was the programming the monks had put into my head, but it was also the name of the guy who wore my armour. Not that I had access to my equipment at the moment, which was a damn shame as my magic swords would really have come in handy. Stupid airport security.

"You weren't when you came out of the goo stuff" she said "You were shouting out stuff about defilers and demons, something about the The Sacred Order of Saint Dumas and you killed a lot of people. They had to bring in loads of guards to stop you".

That didn't sound like Azrael, he was against killing because I had promised Batman I wouldn't kill people.

"Did it look cool?" I questioned.

Collete took a moment to answer.

"I was too scared to notice" she told me "I've never seen you so angry. You killed them like it was nothing. Is that who you really are?"

I didn't have anything to say about that as I wasn't sure what to say.

"Let's get out of here" I decided.

My collar was gone, and no one had placed a new one on me. Most likely because Ra's had forgotten to order it. That was the down side of having minions who existed only to serve, they never did anything because they thought it was a good idea.

"Gothic, how do we get out of this hellhole?" Collete asked me.

I thought about it for a moment.

"Ra's has planes, we find them and get back to Gotham," I said "But first, we need to get the diamond from Ra's. As long as he has it, I think the world is in danger".

Before my girlfriend could ask for more details I reached up and broke her collar. I did so effortlessly I felt so strong, it had to be become of the pit and I wondered how long the effect would last.

"We need to get you into sunlight so your powers can recharge" I told her next..

The sound of the large door of our cell falling to the ground would alert any guards so I figured that there was no sense being subtle. Not that I could have been as there were plenty of people waiting to meet us outside of the cell.

I looked to see Ra's, Lady Shiva, and Talia al Ghul. With a small army of assassins behind them. Also I saw that Roy had survived the crash and that Shiva had a knife ready to end his life.

"Where's Cheshire!?" I demanded to know.

Somehow I just knew she was alive.

"She got away," Ra's admitted "but no matter, it is time to open the ark".

Now I was confused again.

"The what?" I asked.

Ra's smiled.

"The diamond, my boy" he said "Didn't you wonder why I wanted it".

I'd been too concerned about Colette and myself to care much about some shiny rock.

"It is the key to the ark, one of two" he explained "to the Ark of Covenant".

I had only one thing to say about that.

"Wow really" I said.

If true it was amazing.

"The ark of the what?" wondered Power Girl.

I doubted Cadmus had download much biblical lore into her head so I decided to explain.

"The Ark of the Covenant , is a gold-covered wooden chest described in the Book of Exodus as containing two stone tablets on which are written the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God" I told her "Its rumoured to have great power".

Ra's nodded in agreement.

"This is Mount Nebo" Ra's told me as if the name meant something "The ark was hidden here centuries ago, it look me a long time and many lives to recover it".

That was when Roy chimed in.

"He's been using child labour to dig" he informed me "They're still down there clearing away all the rubble from some kind of old temple".

I should have been upset about that, but either the pit was still having an effect on me or I was just too shocked about the Ark to feel anything else.

"Really, human sacrifices, child labour" said Collete "Do you eat babies too?".

I noticed that he didn't deny it.

"The Ark does indeed have power" Ra's was now saying "Any army that marches with it can not be defeated".

That explained the Bialyan soldiers I'd seen. With the Ark the Bialyan army could just march into Qurac and take the whole county, and that was just the start. The existence of the Ark proved that Moses was real and by extension that God was real and the things that happened the Bible were real, that the Jewish and Christian people had it right. Every other faith on the planet would look false when compared. That could cause a lot of chaos.

"I am about to open the ark" Ra's then said "Would you like see what is in side".

Truthfully I did.

"Okay" I replied "Show me".

(Line Break)

I watched as Ra's, Talia, Lady Shiva, and Ubu stood in front of the Ark as what looked to be most of the League of Assassins watched them. Ubu held the diamond I'd taken from Cobblepot while another minion held a matching diamond, which I guessed was the other key.

It was night so Colette hadn't needed a new collar on, and I wasn't sure they even effected me anymore, but I'd been leashed anyway. Then we'd all been tied to posts in the courtyard along with Red Arrow, who didn't look in any state to escape.

"Hey!" someone shouted from up on the roofs "Release my friends or I'll blow up your precious Ark!"

Jade had finally turned up, and I was starting to wonder if she had a fetish for RGPs because yet again she was holding one. I remembered Roy telling me that she'd used one to try to kill Lex Luthor one time, and she'd shot down Blackfire with one too, and now here she was again ready to blow shit up.

Ra's calmly walked to the Ark as if he didn't have any concerns.

"Alright Cheshire you win," said Ra's al Ghul with a smile, "Blow it up! Blow it back to God!"

Of course she didn't, that would have been too easy, or possible not depending if God took offence.

"Unless she surrenders kill Harper!" Ra's then ordered.

Naturally she lowered the RPG.

"This all seems oddly familiar" I mused.

Then I remembered something.

"Oh this is like Raiders of the Lost Ark" I said "When they open it anyone who looks will have their faces melted off".

I sounded oddly cheery about that. The ozze still had to be messing with my head.

"Should we close our eyes?" asked Power Girl.

That might be wise.

"You can if you want," I said to her "I am going to watch".

It should be quite a show.

"Won't your face melt too?" asked Jade as she was tied to a post.

I noticed that Roy already had his eyes closed. Although that might mean he was praying.

"Maybe" I replied.

I then watched as the two minions placed the diamonds in slots at the side of the Ark, then they backed away as they heard something click open. Next Ra's reached out and began to shift the lid himself rather than have his minions to do it, as he was doing that my attention turned to someone who didn't seem belong here. She was a young looking goth girl, I noticed as she moved through the crowd, and kind of hot. She looked me in the eyes before speaking.

"Close your eyes" she said.

I figured that it was a good idea to obey the goth girl who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Shut your eyes!" I shouted "SHUT YOUR EYES!".

I squeezed my shut and then moved my face so that if my eyes had been open all I would have see was the floor.

"Gothic are we gonna die?!" a frantic Colette wished to know.

I had no desire to lie.

"Just keep your eyes shut!" I shouted.

That was when the screaming started.

(Line Break)

Suddenly, it was daytime, and the screaming had stopped. I knew it was day before my eyes opened, which I opened very slowly. I glanced at the Ark and saw that its lid was back on.

"You can open your eyes now" I told my team "Everyone's dead".

Aside it being morning my and Collete's collars were gone to and she was easily able to free us due to being part Superman. Once we were able to move around I went and took the keys away from the Ark. One was going to Jerusalem and I was keeping the other. The League could have the Ark, hopefully they wouldn't be foolish enough to open it or tell people about it.

"What the heck happened?" I heard Jade ask.

There were piles of clothes scattered about, and since I was stripped down to my boxers I picked some up so I could get dressed. This act got me some odd looks for Collete.

"Its not like anyone's using them" I said "and I'm not escaping this place in just my underwear. I have standards".

That was when I noticed that under the clothes were piles of a white powder. I was pretty sure I knew what they were, but I tasted the powder using my fingers to scoop some up before being certain.

"Salt" I muttered "Just like Lot's wife".

How very biblical.

"Did you just taste dried up people?" Power Girl asked me "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!".

She was clearly reaching the end of her rope. It was time to get her home, and possibly down for a nap.

"That was really icky" Jade commented.

Girls could be so silly sometimes, it was just salt.

"I think Ra's got away" Roy, who had also been looking around, remarked "There's no clothes where he was standing, and no salt either. I'm guessing the same goes for Talia".

As to how they had survived I could only guess. Teleporter perhaps?, or maybe they'd closed their eyes and had fled the scene before the rest of us had woken up. I would likely never know, and there was no way I was going to even imagine that Ra's was actually dead. If only because I wanted to kill myself.

"Ra's should have a plane or a helicopter around here somewhere" I was now saying "Failing that there has to be a radio we can use to call for help".

Now that Power Girl had her mojo back, and my team was together, I wasn't worried about there being another case of suddenly ninjas, but it would be a smart idea to get out of here.

"Did anyone else she a goth girl with a silver ankh pendant?" I asked as we headed inside the fortress.

Everyone else just looked confused.

"Just me then" I said "Must have been a hallucination caused by me going into the pit".

Hopefully that was the case, and that I would soon stop seeing things. Otherwise I would have to deal with the fact that I might be insane. Well more so than normal.


	32. Oh Death

DC Gothic – Young Justice.

Cafe. Gotham.

Not long after that whole thing with Ra's and the Ark I'd started getting all obsessed again about their being a secret society of super villains, only not as much as before as I now had something else to spend lots of time thinking about.

That was the goth chick I'd seen while the Ark was being opened. I'd looked in the Justice League files, I'd gone through everything they had about meta-humans and aliens. I'd even checked out supernatural beings, but I'd found nothing. So it came as a bit of a surprise the find the hot goth chick sitting in a cafe I had decided to enter while seeking a cup of coffee.

I quickly looked her over, she was a hot goth chick, only she could smile, and she was rather sexy. Perhaps she was a bit too pale, but what really caught my eye was the silver pendant around her neck, it was an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life if I remembered correctly. Plus it was shiny and drew attention to her boobs, the tops of which were visible as she was wearing a low cut black top.

First of all I ordered some coffee, and once I had the steaming cup in my hands, I then went over to her and made a greeting. This seemed wise for some reason.

"You can see me" stated the goth chick.

That was not something that I had expected her to say. Nor I had thought I would surprise her so much.

"Shouldn't I be able to?" I replied.

The pale faced woman, if that what she was, shook her head.

"Not unless I want you to" she replied.

I suspected that my dip in pit had changed me in a few ways, this was just one. I was seeing normally invisible people, that could prove useful or it might be very distracting. It depended on how many invisible people there were around.

"So what's your name?" I asked her as I took a seat at her table.

I guessed that it would be something dark sounding.

"Death of the Endless. Just call me Dee" the sexy goth girl replied

So she was a anthropomorphic personifications of death that explained a lot. Like how people couldn't see her and the ankh necklace.

"I'm James" I told her, giving the name I used when out and about in the city "Nice to met you".

She hadn't asked to know my name, but I'd needed something to keep the conversation going. Plus it seemed to a good idea to be polite to the Grim Reaper.

"Yes I know who you are" she said before taking a sip of her coffee.

I had to admit to that I was damn curious now. She was Death, there were so many things I wanted to ask her.

"So what brings you to Gotham?" I enquired, figuring that I should start with something simple "If you don't mind me asking".

That was when I noticed the Eye of Horus tattoo on her face. Well I had noticed it before, but it was only now that I recognised the pattern. It was a powerful magical symbol that I knew, however I had no idea what it meant.

"Work" was her answer "I usher souls to the next realm".

If anyone else had said that I'd assume it was a joke, with this woman I could believe it. I didn't doubt for a second that she this universe's anthropomorphic personifications of death.

"That must keep you busy" I said.

There hadn't been anything else I could think to say. Which was odd because moments ago I'd had so many questions in my head.

"It doesn't. I only get one day off a century" Dee was now saying "I like to spend it with people. People I met when working don't hang around for very long".

This I all still believed.

"Sounds lonely" I commented.

She nodded her head, never breaking eye contact with me. She seemed very interested in the fact that I could see her. Only she didn't let it get in the way of us talking.

"So what's it like being the Grim Reaper?" I wondered.

She took a deep breath before answering.

"For starters it's murder on my love life" Dee complained "I can't involved with anyone mortal because bad stuff always happens to them, and even if that wasn't a problem they'd die of old age before I got my next day off. How are you suppose to have a boyfriend if you have to watch him go old and die in no time at all?".

I thought fast for an answer that might appease her. Mostly because I was a little scared of her. After all she was Death.

"Hook up with a god" I suggested.

This was not a solution judging by the scowl on her face.

"They're a bunch of jerks, and most of them are afraid of me" Dee told me "I'm a career woman. I think they feel threatened".

That sort of thing didn't bother me, if only because I had bigger concerns that the amount of money my partner made or how long she spent at work, and since I couldn't help her I decided to talk about me a little. That was what you were suppose to do when you met someone.

"Work can get the way of romance" I agreed "I just got out of a relationship with someone I used to work with. Thankfully I'm not part of that group any more".

Colette had dumped me for being all scary. Well she hadn't actually said that, but that was the reason. As for the team, I figured that I was better off as a solo act.

"So you're an immortal who likes strong women," Dee stated as she smiled at me "And you're single".

Given that this woman could smite me with ease it seemed a good idea not to upset her in anyway, say by giving her an outright no.

"Buy me another drink" Dee requested.

Again it seemed wise to do exactly what this woman told me do. I might be immortal but since Dee was in fact Death then that wouldn't mean a damn thing.

"Sure, whatever you want" I said.

The waiter took some effort to bring over to the table, and it was then that I realised since Dee was invisible to everyone else, this meant it looked as if I was talking to thin air. Thankfully waving about a hundred dollar bill around people who live off their tips is a good way to get served quickly.

"I mean I'm just me. I've got a job to do and I do it right" Dee was now saying with a lot of passion in her voice "When the first living showed up, I was there and when the last living thing dies, my job will finally be finished. Then I'll put the chairs on the tables, put out the lights and lock the universe behind me when I leave".

The DC Verse had a Grim Reaper and she a hot goth chick who looked great in jeans. Well if nothing else it made a nice change from the skeleton with the scythe.

"Did you just quote Terry Pratchett?" I asked.

My question was ignored as this Death was on a role.

"Even gods are intimated by that" Dee then said "I mean the last time they will see me I'll be their to take them to the afterlife. Stuff like that puts guys off".

I could see how this could be the case.

"And it's a rule that any mortal I get involved in is doomed" she added "Which is a stupid rule. I need an immortal in my life".

I had detected the hints she was making. I was suppose to ask her out. Which was terrifying.

"Then there's the Omniscience" Dee commented "There's no mystery in a romance if you know a guy's past, and his every possible future. Well not yours for some reason. I'm never going to reap you so I guess you must die in another universe or something".

I was going to ask about that but she never gave me a chance.

"And don't get me started on my family" the hot personification of death said to me.

I hadn't intended to.

"Okay I won't" was my reply.

Saying that didn't help. She clearly needed to vent her frustrations.

"Dream, that's my little brother, he's okay but Despair and Desire just plain suck. There always playing their stupid games, and because of the rules I'm not allowed to strangle them".

Given that I had siblings I knew exactly what she meant. Even when you love them to bits there are times when I'd wanted to smother them with a pillow as they slept.

"Sorry" Dee was now saying "I'm normally a lot more cheerful than this. I love my life and my job".

Apparently even Death had bad days.

"Everyone gets like this sometimes" I replied "I can be a right moody git".

Noe she seemed far less intimidating than Death should just sitting their flicking through a copy of Kerrang magazine, like she was normal person who just happened to enjoyed alternate music. She didn't read for very long as she seemed to suddenly remember something, which was weird because she was suppose to be all knowing. I got the sense that something was distracting her.

"Wait, how can you see me?" asked the hot goth chick, not for the first time "You don't normally see me".

Now I was surprised.

"Do you see me a lot?" I asked in return.

I was now worried that Death was spying on me.

"No it's just that people die sometimes when your around" the immortal being explained "And I have to be there when they do, but you've never seen me when I'm working. That whole thing with the Ark was suppose to be a one off".

I then looked around the coffee shop and wondered who was going to die. Everyone seemed lively enough, in fact a few of them were staring at me, I put that down to looking crazy

"Excuse me a moment" I then said when I noticed that some poor bloke who had been inhaling his breakfast was starting to choke.

Saving his life was pretty simple, all I had to do was walk over to his table at hit him hard on the back. The bit of bagel that had been cutting off his air supply ended up sprayed on the wall, but it was a case of better out than in.

"You saved my life!" the grateful man shouted out once he had restored his breathing to normal levels "Is there anything I can do to say thank you?".

Actually there was something he could do.

"Just remember to chew your food in future" I said.

Once I was sure the guy was in fact okay I went back to my table and found Dee in a state of shock. It was as if she'd seen something totally unexpected which was strange her because while she might not be totally omnipotent she was close enough by her own admission, and so for her to be shocked by something was a rare event I guessed. Only I had no idea what it was that making her look that way as nothing special was going on.

"What's the matter" I asked as I looked over the cafe's menu.

I was starting to feel a little hungry and while I had no idea what a 'Bear Claw' was, assuming it wasn't the paw of an actual bear, I was tempted to find out. Having a scone would be more British but for once I was going act like an American and eat something that could threaten to make me diabetic, not that this was possible.

"You saved his life" Death of the Endless said after I made my second order "He was suppose to die!".

Well he looked fine to me, he was even taking his time chewing.

"So are people's deaths fixed" I said.

Given that the man I'd just saved had been choking to death, Dee must have been sure he was going to snuff it here and now. Only I'd come along and messed it all up.

"Please tell me I haven't upset the balance of the cosmos" I requested "Batman will be mad at me if I've gone and broken the universe".

Dee laughed, it was nice sound to hear.

"No he'll just die of a heart attack next year now, or he will get run over by a bus later today" Dee told me "I was just really surprised because I didn't see the possibility of his life being saved. You make things blurry for me".

Which she seemed to find interesting as if nothing else my mere existence meant that she wasn't as all knowing as she normally was. I could well imagine how bored she could get doing the same job for all of time, so it made sense that she would find me interesting.

"Most people would freak out after learning who I am" Dee commented "You seem strangely uneffected".

It was strange.

"I'm not exactly a normal person" I told her "I have a brain washing programme in my head that is under the impression that it is an avenging angel, and I'm soon going to be a member of the Justice League. Meeting you won't be the oddest thing to happen to me".

Although it was pretty high on the scale of freaky shit I'd seen so far. Right up there with saving alien princesses from slavery and the Citadel of the Gothics.

"So tell me about yourself" I requested.

Which she did and I discovered that Death is the second eldest of the Endless, Destiny, having come into existence first, and they were family of anthropomorphic beings who personify a few different things, and that they were all a bunch of jerks, at least most of the time. Sibling rivalry was older than the human race it seemed.

Death was possibly the most powerful of the Endless, and may be the most powerful being in the universe. Aside from God and a couple of Arch Angels who she wasn't quite sure about.

Then she told be about how how one day every century, that she lived (and died as a mortal, in order to understand the value of the life she takes. She did this by becoming a mortal fated to die that day

After that she told me about her powers, which were considerable, and I had to ask something.

"Hold on if you can make people immortal and you've had boyfriends who have died, why didn't you make them immortal before they died so you didn't have to lose them?" was my question.

Before she could answer my phone beeped at me and I checked my messages. I'd forgotten that I was suppose to be meeting someone today at city hall as part of my job as Bruce Wayne's special assistant, and now someone had reminded me.

"I have to go" I said to Dee as I stood up "We should do this again sometime".

My gut was telling me that she'd be around. People died all the time in Gotham, sometimes even of natural causes.

"Hey" said Dee as I began walking away "Aren't you even gonna take my number. I'm pretty much everywhere all the time so whenever and wherever you want to go out is good with me".

Amazingly she'd managed to say that without sounding at all desperate, perhaps because she really meant it.

"Okay" I managed to say.

I took took the offered business card. From what I could make out it read: Death of the Endless, and there was number too.

"What kind of area code is that?" I asked.

It was the longest phone number I'd ever seen. Bigger than an international one.

"You really don't want to know" Dee said "trust me on this".

Perhaps I'd just email her as at least I could read that address.

"Cool" was all I said on that matter.

I carefully placed the card in my wallet, and as I did I saw the man whose life I'd just saved step out onto the street. I then watched him get run over by a bus.

"See I was right" Dee remarked as she appeared next to me "He was run over by a bus"

I was to busy calling 911 to say anything about that, although I did have time to realise that I should be freaking out about what had just happened. Yet once again I was unphased.


	33. Chapter 33

**DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Cavern. Outside Gotham.**

 _Recognise - Robin_

Upon hearing the zeta-tube declare that the Boy Wonder had entered the underground lair I now called home, I turned my head and gave him a short wave in greeting.

"I'm surprised to see you here" I then said.

There'd not been much contact between myself and the Team since Colette had left me. Power Girl had even left the country, our recent meeting with Ra's al Ghul had upset her greatly and had driven her to go to Paradise Island, the place the Amazons called home. I figured that being so helpless when wearing one of those damn collars had given her the desire for more training, and on that island there were woman with centuries of combat knowledge.

Another reason had to with me coming out of the Lazarus Pit a different person than I had been before. Apparently I scared her now, which was upsetting, but I was keeping myself busy. There was a lot to do in my new hideout, things to prepare, information to be memorised and equipment to put together.

"I figured I'd come by and see how you're doing" said Robin, has he looked around "This is all very familiar".

My base of operations wasn't quite up to the standards of the Batcave, but it was getting there. I had computers, places to stash my stuff, and even a coffee maker, or at least I figured it was for coffee. It could be something else, there were things down here I didn't understand, and I was sure that in due time I'd either figure them out or someone would explain them to me. Failing that something would explode.

"I'm fine" I told the bird boy.

The fact that I was fine was in of its self a little worrying. Given what I'd been through over the last week or so I should at least be depressed. Even meeting Death of the Endless hadn't phased me that much.

"Any side effects from your dip in old Ra's funky goop?" Robin asked.

Some mental issues that I didn't want to talk about, and one big thing that would surprised everyone.

"Azrael woke up" I said.

Batman's sidekick looked confused for a moment.

"Oh you mean the brainwashing stuff" he soon realised "Is he hijacking your body again?".

I wouldn't have phrased it that way, but it was more or less the case.

"He handles patrols for me" I told Robin "While I sleep he gets to bust crooks, and when its daytime or if there's something he can't handle I wake up. Its more of a timeshare than anything else".

It should freak me, it should bother me that someone was taking over my body, it was just that I didn't care.

I never remembered what Azrael got up to, and while I had some strange dreams my body was healed by morning so it was hard to tell that anything had happened. Besides I rarely talked to the voice in my head, he, well it, existed somewhere in the deepest part of my mind when I was in charge.

"What stuff can't he handle?" Robin wondered.

That wasn't the question I would have asked about my situation were I somebody else.

"He's not that good with talking to people" I explained "and while he can handle tech stuff he knows very little about magic so if it involves magical stuff or talking stuff I deal with it".

Although so far he hadn't needed me on patrol, so I'd slept rather well despite all that nightly action. Benefits of an immortal body, one that seemed to be getting stronger over time it seemed.

"All I have to do is speak the word and he takes over" I then told Robin.

Again he was understandably confused.

"Its something Azrael taught me" I was now saying "I have to relax myself and close my eyes, then I speak a word that lets him know it time to take over, and when he's done he speak the word and I'm back in the driving seat".

The boy wonder had another question.

"So can you like talk to him?" he asked.

Indeed I could.

"When ever he takes over, and then gives up control back to me he retreats into the back of my head" I told my former team mate "But he doesn't have to do that right away, we can talk for a while, just not for too long as having a voice in head is not healthy".

I could actually tell when he was hiding, as when there were two of us awake it was rather taxing on my mental state so when he went away it was like a headache suddenly fading away.

"You're weird" Robin then said.

That did some me up rather nicely.

"You have a brainwashing program in your head that thinks its an avenging angel, and he takes over your body, dresses you in leather and goes out so he can beat up bad guys" he summarised "You'll fit right in here. Gotham is home to weird"

I had to agree with that.

"So wanna patrol, tonight?" I asked the boy wonder "You can get to know my other half".

Robin shook his head.

"Can't sorry, I'm Bruce Wayne's ward this evening" he told me "The mayor is having a party and have to be there".

Robin then reached into the jacket he was wearing, as he wasn't in uniform, and handed me an invite to that party.

"And here I thought you just came to visit" I said as I read the invite.

My cover in this city was a Mr Wayne's special project's assistant. Which basically meant doing things that he didn't have time to do, like running errands, not like picking up his dry cleaning or booking reservations. I was the guy he sent to handle things he would have handled personally as Batman while he was dressed as Bruce Wayne.

So far this had just involved taking that damn diamond to Israel, which I did manage to do in the end, and attending a couple of meetings. I imagined that in the future I'd be doing other such tasks for him. Not that I minded being an errand boy, I had nothing better to do and it would keep me busy.

"Well then I'll see you later" I told the side kick "Now I have to go and find my tux".

Since everyone had moved out I hadn't seen any point in keeping the building upstairs in any kind of order. I lived down here in the cavern and had brought down everything I needed, only I couldn't quite recall where everything was.

"Oh I almost forgot" Robin suddenly said "I got you a late birthday present".

He then took out something else from his jacket, it was a wrist strap, with electronic parts. Much like a pipboy from the Fallout games, only slimmer.

"I got the chance to take a look at your motherbox" he told, while passing over the device "I couldn't get to work so I built an interface to make it easier to control. You should take some time to find out what it can do. Whoever created your Mother Box was a genius".

That he was, because he was also me. Sort of.

"Thank you" I said, while placing the device on my wrist.

By the time I'd strapped it on Robin was already using the teleporter so I didn't think he'd heard me say thank you, but that was okay I'd see him at the party later.

(Line Break)

Streets. Gotham

"Knightfall"

I heard the word and found myself standing over a very upset woman, while around some very scared looking guys hobbled away. Clearly Azrael had been doing his whole 'Avenging Angel' deal and had found himself having to deal with something he felt I was better able to handle. How a brainwashing programme could make these choices was a mystery.

"Damn it Azrael what did you land me in?" I whispered.

He, or it, or whatever, didn't answer and I could tell that he was gone so I would have to deal with things.

"Coward" I muttered "Can't even handle a crying woman".

First I looked the lady over for obvious signs of injury, but along the way I also observed her fine female form. She had nice, toned and rather strong-looking legs, at the top of her pubic region she had a thick mat of hair, which proved she was a natural red ahead, and atop each breast was a slightly brown nipple that stood out in the cold night air.

It may have been arousing, if not for two things, she was not only crying, but she was also terrified. It took me a moment to realise that it was me who was terrifying her, and since it seemed unlikely that Azrael would rape a woman I figured that while he had stopped it, his appearance, my appearance was not helping the situation.

Which was hardly odd what the metal mask covering my face, the hood, as well as the bits of leather and metal I had covering the body. What parts that weren't black were blood red, all in all that couldn't be a comforting sight, at least not someone who didn't know me.

Carefully I took my mask and lowered my hood. I had small mask over my eyes, like what Red Arrow wore, yet even with that it was easy to tell that I was a human.

"Miss, I'm going to re-dress you now, but I need you to calm down and help me," I told her as gently as I could.

She took a few shuddering breaths and nodded,

"Good, now please lift up your hips, this will go quicker if you do" I requested.

She complied and after I got her underwear up so that her pubic hair was covered, I then pulled her pants up to their proper spot, going so far as to fasten them.

"Now, I'm going to button your shirt back up" I told the woman.

It took her a while, but she was able to reply.

"O… okay," she managed to get out

I did up her blouse before helping her up.

"What's your name" I requested to know.

This time she answered much more quickly.

"Sonia Alcana" she told me.

That name didn't ring any bells, and given that there were a lot of people in Gotham there was no reason why it would.

"Okay Sonia Alcana I'm not going to insult you and ask if you are alright, but are you injured?" I asked.

The one thing my Mother Box did not do was make phone calls. Which was a design flaw in my point of view. Perhaps Robin could fix that.

"No… no. I'm not" I was told.

Now that she was standing up I could tell that the woman had dressed for a night out. She'd not warn a bra for one thing, and the blouse she was wearing did show off some cleavage. Also as she picked up her coat I noticed a police badge, she was a cop.

"Thank you" she said.

I picked up my mask before saying anything.

"You're welcome" I replied "And a piece of advice, officer, don't out at night alone. This town is full of freaks".

To my surprise she chuckled.

"That sounds odd, coming from a guy in so much leather" she commented.

At this point I was thinking of leaving as Sonia looked strong enough to get a cab.

"When I was on the ground, tits out and bare pussy, I noticed you didn't have wood" she then said.

I didn't need to point out how odd it was that she'd realised that.

"I'm a detective" Sonia told me "We're trained to notice things like".

Since most of my face was still visible it was easy to tell how odd I found the woman's words.

"Hey" she protested "it's been a while. Nothing but real ass holes in the PD, and all of them either can't get it up because of 'stress' or aren't interested in women who also carry a badge. Which was it with you, the badge or did you just over do the steroids".

She must have seen Azrael fight the rapists, seeing that could led someone to assume I was taking something to enhance myself.

"Oh, I'm sure I could rise to attention" I told the cop "but you have to get home".

I was pretty sure that she hadn't been raped as her underwear hadn't been far enough down, but still this was hardly the time, or the place for that matter, for her to discuss my erections.

"Okay, alright, no worries, I was just playing around" Detective Sonia Alcana was now saying "Guess you aren't into women after all".

While I was hardly homophobic I felt the need to assert myself on the issue of my sexuality.

"Oh, I am," I said to her "but crying women did nothing for me, and I just got dumped so I'm not in the mood"

That was when I noticed where Detective Sonia Alcana was looking.

"Could you at least look up into my eyes instead of my crotch?" I requested.

My armour had a cup so even if she'd punched me down there she wouldn't have been able to tell if I was hard or not.

"Oh, sorry" she said.

Her attitude made me wonder if she was in shock. It would explain why she hanging out in an alleyway with a masked stranger.

"I don't know what to do after almost getting raped, so excuse me if I'm acting strange" she said.

My guess was that she'd need ice cream and more tears to help get over this.

"Come on we'll find you a taxi" I said "I guess you're off duty what with the high heels and lack of a gun".

I'd also been trained to spot things like a detective.

"I suggest ice cream: cookie dough flavour and a movie, pretty woman is normally good for upset ladies" I was now saying.

That made her laugh.

"Are you sure you're not gay?" Detective Sonia Alcana asked.

I was sure.

"No I love the boobs" I assured her "Its just that the pair I'd come to enjoy greatly were cruelly taken away, and I've gone off sex as a result".

It made me a little sad thinking that, and I took that as a sign that I hadn't become a totally unfeeling person. Perhaps at some point my passions would return.

"So even if I offered to suck you off right now, you'd just get me a taxi?" the cop asked.

I tried to be honest.

"If you were in a better frame of mind and not ready to break down into a heap of crying female, then maybe I would, but as you're about two seconds from bursting into tears" I told the cop.

I could see the waterworks coming, her green eyes were like a dam that was about to burst.

"Here you go" I said while taking a tissue from my utility belt "I think I have painkillers in here as well if you want one".

Batman really did think of everything when equipping young heroes, but I didn't have long to think about that as I was distracted by the crying police officer

"Damn it, I am such a softie" I muttered to myself

I pulled Detective Sonia Alcana into a hug, which she intensified by throwing her arms around my neck and pulling herself closer. I held the sobbing officer for several minutes, rubbing her back as I did, telling her that everything would be alright and all of the normal stuff people say to a crying female.

"Feel any better?" I asked, once she ended the hug

The cop nodded.

"Good, because I don't think my cloak can keep me dry during another torrential downpour" I then said.

She elbowed me in the stomach, if only reflex.

"Sure, I try and be nice and I get abused, I see how it is" I then jokingly moaned.

That made her laugh just a little, and taking it as a good sign I started to walk the cop to the street were it was brightly lit and there were taxi cabs galore. I got some odd looks, so I put up hood.

"Thanks again" Detective Sonia Alcana said as she got into a cab.

Now I was starting to wonder why Batman didn't stick around after saving people. Being thanked was rather nice.

(Line Break)

Monastery. Outside Gotham.

Seconds ago, while I'd been down in the cavern, planning some space expansion, an alarm had gone off. Some had entered the former home of the Order of Dumas.

Now there was a woman who standing in the doorway of the chapel and she was smiling at me.

"Hello, Azrael" she said.

It was Detective Sonia Alcana, somehow she'd tracked me down.

"How the hell did you find me?" I demanded to know.

Given that I was wearing my armour there was no sense denying who I was.

"Your case file was never closed" she replied "and you were shouting out stuff about Azrael, the avenging angel, when you saved me. I found the case file".

That didn't really answer my question, but she had more to say.

"It wasn't hard to track you down once I hit the library. I figured you had some connection to the Church, but it wouldn't be anything mainstream, and that you had to have a base within in or nearby Gotham. There was nothing about you on-line, but in an old book that went on and on about Christan fringe groups who've settled this area I found the Scared Order of Dumas, who have a legend about a warrior called Azrael, who avenges. Then I found this place in some old maps".

Well she was a detective. Still if she could figure out, that meant others could. I might have to move.

"Don't worry about anyone following my trail" she then said while taking out an old book out of her bag and putting it on a pew "I stole the book from the library. A crime I know, but I owe you a big favour, and it seemed like a good way to start paying you back".

I'd have to track down any other copies of that book and store them away somewhere so that no one else could track me that way.

"Nice place" she lied, while examing my home.

It would look a bit strange now that there were painted occult symbols all over the walls. I'd used the book the Planeswalker had given me, and I was pretty sure that I was now warded against everything that wasn't an animal, a human, or some kind of robot.

"I didn't just drop by to give you the book" Miss Alcana was now saying "I was wondering if you have contacts at the GCPD, you know like how Batman has Gordon. We could work together, you know share information, if there's anything I think we need help with I'll let you know. You can let me to do the arresting, I'll get at least some of the credit and you'll get... we'll you'll see. But don't think this is anything other than a professional relationship. I'm not looking for a boyfriend".

That I sort of understood.

"I guess we can work together" I said.

Having an informant inside the GCPD would help.

"So do you have a bedroom?" Detective Sonia Alcana wondered "I don't want to see you hidden lair, assuming you have one somewhere in here, but it would be nice to go somewhere that doesn't make me feel like I'm staring in a horror movie".

Freshly painted occult symbols in an old chapel within an abandoned monastery. That had to be creepy.

"I don't have a bedroom" I said "and I'm not interested in anything sexual. At least not the moment".

Not that long ago I'd have happily jumped her bones, but now my heart simply wasn't in it, or in anything else for that matter. I'd say I was depressed only I wasn't.

"You sure?" asked the detective.

I pondered her question for a moment.

"Rain check" I said to her "Right now this isn't a good time for me to have company".

If nothing else I needed to hunt down copies of that book.

"Okay" was all Sonia had to say.

As she turned away I could see that my rejection had hurt.

"I'll come by if I need you" she said as she left the chapel "and if you're gay you can just tell me. I don't judge".

She was going to be an interesting person to work with, that I could tell, or she might drive me crazy... well crazier.

"Maybe I should email Dee" I muttered to myself.

I was spending far too much time by myself, and while I was never really alone, I really should try to connect to people. Otherwise I'd end up like Batman, sitting alone in a cave spending all my time brooding, now that was a future I'd like to avoid.


	34. Chapter 34

Before I write more chapters I want people to check out my p-a-t-r-e-on account which uses the name Gothicjedi666.


	35. Girl's Night

Author Note

I really don't like holiday specials so just to be different I wrote what happens to Azrael on Xmas Eve and its not at all jolly.

 **DC Gothic - Young Justice - Girls Night Out**

 **Rooftops. Gotham.**

It was the night before Christmas, and though few super crooks had any love for the season, even they needed time off. It was New Years Eve that tended to be trouble for the Caped Crusader, as the big villains liked the attention they could get from crowds.

Even as the mayor of this city Batman wasn't that busy so when Robin had turned up at the cave with a proposal just as Batman was suiting up to go out, the Dark Knight had listened to the deal. The Boy Wonder wanted to go on one case as real partners, equal partners.

Robin had agreed not to weigh every word Batman uttered for some sign he was being dismissed as a junior, rookie, or sidekick. For his part, Batman had said that he would deal with Robin as a fellow hero.

That the Caped Crusader had agreed was odd, but not half as odd as the scene the two crime fighters were looking upon now as they perched on a rooftop.

They were suppose to be investigating Azrael, that was the mission they had partnered up for, and it was Robin's mission. He was concerned about his former team mate, who was now claiming to have a duel personality, one which took over and patrolled Gotham.

Which admittedly wasn't that strange, after all many heroes and crooks took on new persona, but Robin was worried that Azrael's programming had taken over again.

It wasn't something worth worrying the Team over or the League, as while Azrael the program was tough to deal with he was no bad guy. People weren't going to start dying.

Still there was the possibility that the dip in Ra's al Ghul ooze of immortality might have screwed up Azrael the person in the head. So it was best to check on him.

Folks other than Batman and Robin would have gone about doing that more directly, say by sitting down with Azrael and talking to him like real people, or they might bring in someone trained to deal with mental issues. But the Dynamic Due would much rather spend time on a roof top while doing some spying.

"Batman, we're looking down on Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Talia al Ghul, and Harley Quinn, starting 'Girls' Night Out' at a coffee shop which is having a lesbian poetry reading. When I say 'this is bizarre', you gotta agree with me" said Robin.

Batman's mouth twitched, it may have been an attempt at a smile.

"How'd you get her to go along with this?" Robin asked.

Selina Kyle and Talia al Ghul loathed each other, due to their mutual love of the Dark Knight more than anything else. So naturally the Boy Wonder was wondering how Batman had convinced Catwoman to join this little group. Ivy and Quinn went back a long way so them being together wasn't odd. Also Selina Kyle had history with both Harley and Ivy. What didn't make sense was Talia's presence. Sure she was based in Gotham now, as she'd been running her own business empire for a while now, but that didn't give her a connection to the female rogues.

"It took some doing," the Caped Crusader admitted.

Mostly it was dumb luck that had allowed Gotham's Grim Guardian to learn about Ivy's Girls' Night plan, and Selina hadn't been gung-ho about going along on the excursion, however Batman had planned to keep an eye on them this night, and in the end Selina hadn't been able to say no.

Then Robin had turned up with his mission, and it seemed logical to combine the two. Azrael would be on patrol, and therefore should the bad girls cause some trouble he would come to stop it. That would allow the Dark Knight as assess the Avenging Angel, to make sure he was doing the job right.

It was a bit needlessly complex really, both the Girl's Night Out, and checking up on Azrael could have been handled more easily, but Batman had been sitting behind a desk for too long. He felt the need to get out there and have what he thought of as fun.

"Its Thursday" Batman listen to Ivy say "they have poetry readings…"

Which sounded reasonable enough, even if was Xmas eve.

"It's a lesbian coffee shop," Harley interrupted with her typical directness "And I'm not as lesbian".

The Dark Knight could read the signs from up on the roof thanks to one of this gadgets, it was lesbian poetry night, but the coffee shop itself didn't seem to be geared towards the LGB community. Not that he judged on appearances.

"I figured we'd go to a bar," Selina complained.

No doubt Ivy had thought that unwise to get the normally unstable Quinn drunk, hence visiting a coffee shop. Although neither Batman or Robin had any idea when the plant loving villain had embraced lesbian culture. Perhaps she'd just wanted to go somewhere with out any men.

(Line Break)

Rooftops. Gotham.

After some debate the four women had hit a bar. One that was also drawing in the women, but these were heterosexual ones.

"They're at table three," Batman insisted, while pointing some new gizmo through the skylight of a club called STUDS.

This being Gotham there were nearly as many strip clubs for women as there were for men.

"They're at table five," Robin countered, while adjusting his headset "Harley just ordered a Long Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against a Cold Hard Wall with an umbrella".

Batman shook his head.

"That's not Quinn" he corrected "and that wasn't a drink order".

Upon closer inspection the Boy Wonder discovered that table five was a bachelorette party, and that the bride to be had clearly overdone it when putting on her make up.

"Table three ordered a martini, Talia's second drink of choice, a white russian, that has to be Selina, Ivy ordered a Banana Daiquiri, and Quinn, well I really don't want to know what she ordered".

It was a big glass full of something pink and it had a large novelty ice cube in it that wasn't at all cubed shaped.

"Fight crime, you told me. Justice, you said. Battle evil-doers. You didn't mention this part" moaned the Boy Wonder.

There were things a sixteen year old really didn't want to see or hear, one of those involved male strippers and what Harley Quinn liked to do with them.

"At least she's not broken up about the Joker" Robin remarked.

(Line Break)

An hour and a half later it looked as if Girl's Night would come to an end without any problems. Robin was happy about that, but he was concerned that his former team mate had ever shown up. Something the ladies who were now coming out of the club seemed to be thinking about too. They seemed rather surprised that the Avenging Angel hadn't been spotted.

"Azrael!" one of the women done on the street yelled out.

Batman and Robin were always alert, but now they were somehow even more aware of what was going on. They'd been hoping to see the masked crime fighter this night so they could judge his reactions. Only as it turned out he wasn't here, at least not yet.

"Who's this Azrael?" Quinn asked.

Having been locked up for a while meant Harley wasn't up to date on the changes here in Gotham, one of which was that Batman had seemed to have stepped back in favour of someone knew.

Then Ivy and Selina's eyes locked, and they instantly and silently agreed on a strategy. To do something rather fun.

"He's the new catch of the century," Selina began.

Harley looked very interested in hearing more. She'd been in Arkham for months, and her pudding had vanished off the face of the Earth. In fact he wasn't even on the planet. So hooking up with someone new had an appeal.

"Absolutely," Ivy agreed with great enthusiasm, "The catch of Gotham City. The catch of the Eastern seaboard. You want to seduce a hero worth seducing, that's your man."

Even Talia was now getting into the spirit of thing.

"Why yes, Azrael and I were lovers for a while. He is so much more dashing and charismatic, than Batman" she stated "Alas I wasn't enough woman for him".

Harley raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked.

The other three women nodded.

"He is THE man of Gotham City," Talia assured her "No one can tame him".

Up above Robin was trying not to break out into laughter.

"Many have tried," Selina, who had never met the Avenging Angel, added. "The great and wonderful Azrael, we all quiver at his might."

Batman and Robin, who were still following the female bad guys exchanged looks.

"Damn" swore the Boy Wonder "those women are evil".

The cackling going on supported this statement.

"You're just getting that now?" Batman queried.

Back down below the four somewhat drunk ladies had decided to climb a wall and gain entry into an closed amusement park. Normally the Dark Knight would do something about this even if it was a minor crime, but it was Christmas, and as far as he could tell the women were just wandering about.

"And what exactly is your plan of attack," Pamela was currently enquiring of Harley.

Now it seemed as if Catwoman, Ivy and al Ghul had convinced Quinn to attempt to seduce the Avenging Angel, this was something that worried Robin a lot, however Batman was simply amused. Not that he showed it.

"I shall expose him to the bewitching wonder that is me," the Joker's former side kick answered.

The other women exchanged looks.

"Go get him, Tiger," were Selina's words of encouragement "I'm sure he'll be along any moment now".

Catwoman was very genre savvy, she knew that if they mentioned Azrael enough times while walking around Gotham in the middle of the night that he'd turn up. And she was right.

(Lin Break)

Batman and Robin had followed the four ladies into the theme park, without being seen, and were now watching Azrael make his way towards the crooks. Clearly the Avenging Angel had sighted the naughty girls, and was going in for a closer look.

"We going to do anything?" Robin asked his mentor, knowing the answer already "I mean if he's mentally unstable, and Talia did torture Power Girl, it might get messy".

Plus Ivy had tried to kill the Team during that whole city destroy giant plant thing, that somehow she'd avoided going to jail for.

"Let it play out," Batman answered. "We can let the targets eliminate each other, its safer for us and it means fewer to deal with once it's all over".

While the ladies hadn't done anything worth getting locked up for, the Dark Knight was still going to have words with them. Of course his reasoning was totally a lie. Batman wanted to see what would happen, just as Robin did.

(Line Break)

"Is that…a flaming sword?" Pamela asked, as she looked up at the roller coaster.

The three other femme fatals all looked up.

"It is. Wrong colour and style to be Firefly" Selina commented "and he's out of town anyway".

Talia knew exactly who held the sword, and now remembering what happened last time she'd spent time with Azrael, she blamed the lapse in memory on the drink, and all those distracting jock straps.

"It's Azrael," Pamela said with a sigh" This is a Gotham night out remember. A hero's work was never done".

Then Harlene Quinzel pulled a slightly crumpled black mask from her handbag and placed it over her face. She didn't need it, everyone knew who Harley Quinn was without it, but there were rules about crooks verses caps fights.

"Let's go girls" Harley said "I'm going to bag me an angel".

Talia remembered that while her father had some history with the Order of Saint Dumas, long ago, and not so long ago when he'd wiped them out. She personally didn't know what an Azrael could do, not when they really wanted to hurt someone.

"The most important things to remember," Miss al Ghul said as the women ran "Is that if we can get the suit off him, he'll lose most of his power".

This was true as the Armour of Sorrows did allow Azrael to perform super human feats.

"Is it magical?" Selina asked.

She didn't intend to hurt anyone, but she was eager to test out this new defender of Gotham, and she hoped that she could prevent things from getting out of hand.

Her hope of this diminished somewhat when she saw that Harley had gotten a mallet from somewhere. She couldn't have had it hidden on her person, or in her tiny handbag, so Catwoman could only assumed she'd grabbed it from one of the park's games. Although with Quinn you could never be sure.

"Yes" Talia answered "And he can't access most of his fighting abilities if he isn't dressed as Azrael, at least not most of them. They are trained to fight wearing the amour, its about his state of mind as much as it about the magic".

While talking the daughter of the Demon's Head pulled a knife out from her elegant boot, just as the Avenging Angel leapt down to met them.

Talia went low. Harlequin went high. Ivy stepped out of the way. Where as Selena aimed her whip in a blow that she hoped wouldn't do any actual damaged. Azrael avoided Talia's low slash with what seemed to be preternatural reflexes, and the whip missed him as well, but either he failed to notice Harley's attack, or was unable to avoid it. Her mallet made contact with his face, and the blow sent him stumbling back a step. Which was impressive as it should have knocked him out or at least driven him to the ground.

Harley flipped back away from the masked man while Talia moved to take advantage of the opening caused by Quinn's attack. She landed her blow, this time, but the knife skittered off his pauldron as he moved away. That not been part of his armour last time Miss al Ghul had seen it, and she wondered where it had come from.

While Talia recovered quickly she wasn't fast enough, and the Avenging Angel hit her hard enough to send her flying back, almost directly into Ivy, who was standing still not doing anything.

The daughter of the Demon's Head was more shocked than hurt, Batman had never punched her, sure they traded blows, but not like that, and she hadn't imagined anyone who worked for or with the Dark Knight would strike a woman in such away. Something was different.

She was even more shocked when Azrael threw a stylish sai, no doubt a gift from the former assassin Cheshire, right at her. It pinned her to the wooden wall of a candy stall by her designer jacket, no one sure if he'd meant to do that or if he'd missed.

The action also stopped everyone in their tracks, the Avenging Angel was turning about to be more skilled than the ladies had imagined, and they were a mite worried about what would happen next.

Still they were going to keep fighting because it was clear that Azrael wasn't going to back down and end this peacefully.

Also when jumping down to met the women he'd driven his flaming sword into the ground tip first and Harley had just grabbed the weapon. That wasn't not something any warrior was going to just forget about, you didn't touch a man's magic sword and get away with it.

(Line Break)

A short distance away the Dynamic Due watched the fight.

"So Azrael the guy or Azrael the programming?" Robin wondered.

Batman soon had an answer.

"The man" he said "I don't think the Order of Dumars would create a warrior who would strike at a woman like that".

This wouldn't have been due to chivalry, at least not totally, it was more likely that the monks wouldn't have consider the fairer sex to even be a concern when creating an assassin.

Besides that hit looked like it had been motivated by a personal issue, it hadn't been meant to disable, Azrael had struck out in anger. Also the programming would have just ended the fight with his sword, using their magic weapons to ensure victory as soon as possible. They might not work on the likes of Harley, who was simply nuts, but Talia and Selina would have been somewhat effected, of that Batman was sure, and Ivy had already felt the effects.

"Then there's the sai" Robin mused "He only learned how to use one of those after Jade joined his group".

The Dark Knight nodded his agreement.

"I've been training Azrael when I've had time" the Caped Crusader told his apprentice "He's been improving, but I suspect that he has become more effective because he has come to terms with the programming the monks installed. By accepting it he can access it better".

Robin smiled a little upon hearing that, not because of what his mentor had said, rather it had been the tone of voice. Batman hadn't seemed concerned, even when it looked as if Azrael had killed Talia, and if he wasn't worried then the Boy Wonder didn't have to be either.

"Have you noticed that his outfit has changed?" Gotham's Grim Guardian asked the teenager.

Robin in fact had.

"He's got a nice new pauldron, and the cape looks like the end of it has been dipped in blood, or at least red paint" he replied "I wonder if anything else has changed".

Batman was wondering that too.

"Let's watch and find out" he said.

(Line Break)

Ivy hissed between her teeth as she split her attention between the hundreds of individual stems now under her control, it had taken time for the plants that were hears to command to break through the man made ground. Normally she more control, but it was cold out tonight and she'd been drinking.

While she'd been focused on calling upon nature the angelic warrior had gotten his sword back, and was now trying to insert into the body of Harley, who hadn't had the sense to run away.

He'd recognised Harley in spite of her civvies, maybe it was the mask, or maybe it was the mad laughter, and he didn't seem happy to met the crazy woman. This was a shame as the other ladies had wanted to see what happen should Quinn try to seduce the Avenging Angel. In retrospect it had been a bad idea, they should have let Harley try on her on, or with just Catwoman to back her up, they didn't have any history with Azrael were as Ivy and Talia did.

"What kind of gentlemen hits a lady?" the tiny clown demanded to know, while cartwheeling out of reach.

Pamela's thinking was that her friends habit of wearing a short skirt would have led to the Avenging Angel being distracted. Ivy wasn't a lesbian, despite what her taste in poetry might suggest, but even she couldn't help admiring the view when Harley showed off her panties.

As for Miss Kyle, she was the kind of women who resented her gender being seen as the weaker of the two, but right now she was wondering if being seen as the fairer sex was always such a bad thing as Azrael wasn't going easy on the women. A more scary thought was that the idea that he was holding back somewhat.

Harlequin then took a blunt pommel-blow to the gut soon after flashing everyone for the tenth time, she'd overextended herself while going for a kick to the face, possibly to remove Azrael's mask, and now she was paying for that mistake.

Talia stepped up to fight next with her knife in one hand and the sai that had nearly killed her in the other, which she must have pried out of the wall, and she engaged Azrael in what to Selina and Ivy looked like duel of blades worthy of an Errol Flynn film. Normally such a fight would be over quickly as one warrior simply overpowered another or used their skills to end it. This match was as much showing off as it was an attempt to stab people.

Despite that Talia seemed to grasp the necessity of containment at this point, and soon with help from Harley the two women were driving Azrael back towards the roller coaster, either hoping to pin him down or force to fight within the ride were he wouldn't has a much room to swing his flaming sword around.

Meanwhile Pamela was urging her leafty minions to gather together, her plan was use her plants to overwhelm the Avenging Angel, pinning him in places so that the women could... well running away seemed a like a good plan.

Selina was waiting for a moment to strike, but in such a way that she could disable Azrael without actually hurting him, she would have to sacrifice her whip for that, but she got the the Avenging Angel tied up it would given the four women time to get out of here.

Just then Harlequin threw all her weight into the back of Azrael's knee and just barely saved Talia from getting her chest carved open like a Thanksgiving turkey, the sword would have passed through Miss al Ghul without harming her, but Harley hadn't known that.

Next Harlequin seized the moment she'd earned with her last attack to drive another foot into the inside of the only leg the Avenging Angel still had full use of, even with the armour that protected the warrior he should have hit the ground like a felled tree.

Azrael simply grunted in pain, somehow still able to stand, and with his left arm he elbowed Harley in the face, breaking her nose. The clown girl staggered back and banged her head on one of the metal supports of the roller coaster.

Selina tried to prevent this, but she'd realised that fighting someone like Azrael without decent weapons, or in Harley's case, any weapons at all as she'd lost her mallet, was foolhardy. Relying on a partner you'd never fought alongside before was worse. Plus they'd been drinking, that didn't help. Still even Batman would have struggled to defeat Harley and Talia at the same time.

As for Talia and Harlequin they had kept him busy for nearly three minutes, and it was possible they might have eventually worn him down enough that they could have disabled him and stripped him of his armour. More likely, they wouldn't. But now Ivy was free to join in, and Azrael hadn't even realised she had him completely surrounded.

Talia instinctively retreated when the earth under her feet lashed out, Azrael did not as while his legs weren't disabled they had been damaged, so within seconds he tangled up to the waist in vines. It also helped that Catwoman's whip was in play by that point.

He could have cut himself free with his sword only a well timed strike with a whip by Catwoman knocked the blade from his hand.

"Now we run" called out Selina.

The four women did just that. Catwoman even dropped her whip while legging it.

(Line Break)

Batman soon realised that it was a good thing the four female rogues had run because Azrael carried two swords, so he was soon free, he would have gone after the ladies if his legs hadn't suddenly given up. Clearly Harley's blows had down more damage to the Avenging Angel than anyone had realised.

"Did he just take on Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Ivy, and Talia, and not lose?" Robin wondered.

He'd hadn't won the fight, but since the women had ran off it wasn't a victory for them either.

"I think we safely say that he can do the job" Batman stated.

He didn't care much beyond that, and the League had people more qualified to deal with any problems Azrael was willing to share. With that in mind the Dark Knight decided that tonight he would take the Avenging Angel to the Watch Tower so that he could met the team he would soon work with.

(Line Break)

Wayne Manor. Outside Gotham.

While I'd had no plans for Xmas, other than hopefully spending some time with Death of the Endless who'd finally replied to my email, I had not imagined that I would doing something so important on Christmas Eve. Actually it was Christmas Day, and it was 3 in the morning.

Currently I was sitting on a couch, waiting as I had been told to be ready to go by three am. That might not seem important, and really it wasn't. What did matter was what would happen soon.

I'd been ready for an hour now, I had my armour on. My swords were where they should be. The whip Catwoman had left at the amusement park was now hanging off my belt. I'd even gotten the sai Jade had given me back from Talia al Ghul. That had involved stopping by her penthouse apartment, which was sometimes fun and sometimes not.

For a change I was even carrying my energy weapon, which I didn't normally keep on me these days since my alter ego always left in my hideout when he took over. In short I was a one man army, yet I didn't feel prepared for what was going to happen.

I heard a knock at the door and opened it to find Bruce in his Batsuit. Seeing him dressed like that inside his own home seemed odd, as had the knocking, he looked like a stranger within his own house.

"Ready to go Azrael?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Sure, boss" I then replied.

Without words we headed down into the Batcave, so that we could use the teleporter there to get to the Watch Tower. I could have generated a boom tube to the orbiting space station when ever I wished, using my mother box, but I'd never risk it as I had no idea what kind of security they had up there.

Soon Batman and I were up in the Watch Tower the trip had no taken no time at all, and now I was face to face with most of the Justice League. Well actually my face was hidden behind my metal mask, but I didn't think it did much to hide how nervous I felt.

"Azrael" Wonder Woman greeted.

Since her daughter, Power Girl, had left me to go to Paradise Island, for training as a warrior, I'd been unsure how her mother would react to me. So far she seemed to be acting coolly, but not coldy.

"Hello." I greeted.

Superman, Green Arrow, and the Flash were also here. In the background was the Huntress, the woman I'd slept with that long ago, and unsurprisingly she making herself look busy.

"So you've changed your outfit" Green Arrow stated.

Death of the Endless had sent me a few things for my armour. She'd not made an appearance, but she had left notes. I was ensure why, perhaps it was some sort of courting tactic, or maybe she was just over doing the whole gift giving at Christmas thing. She'd sent me a nice new pauldron, a new cape, and a new mask, all of which were as far as I could tell, improvements over the old ones.

Plus I was carrying a lot more weapons than I had the last time Green Arrow had seen me. No doubt that was causing concern.

"Yes." I replied, before realising more was needed "Batman has been training me, and he's installed in me a need to prepare for anything".

This made people chuckle.

"Good." Superman said as he gave me a smile.

He wasn't the only one with something to say

"As long as Batman trusts you, we should too." The Flash declared "I bet he even told his secret identity".

He was a lot like Wally West, aka Kid Flash, he had a similar vibe about him.

"I already knew it" was my reply.

The Flash looked surprised.

"You still don't know his name?" Wonder Woman asked her team mate with a laugh.

The fastest man alive turned to face the Amazon Princess, and even with his cowl on it was clear that he was expressing surprise.

"You do?!" Flash exclaimed.

Everyone seemed amused by this. Well aside from Batman and myself.

"Even I know his name." Green Arrow said.

I started to tune out the conversation, and to look around. This version of the Watch Tower was very impressive. I'd been here once before, when I'd been locked in the morgue, so understandably I hadn't take the time to admire the view.

Planet Earth was spinning below, it was dark right now, as the Tower was in orbit over the USA, but I could see that it was dawn elsewhere.

As I was doing that the Flash whizzed over and asked me if I knew anyone else's real name.

"Well I already know that your name is Barry Allen" I said.

This surprised the speedster.

"What?!" the Flash exclaimed.

Everyone looked at me.

"You should have kept that to yourself" Batman chided.

He of course he knew that I knew everyone's secret identities

"How long have you known?" Wonder Woman asked.

That question could led to more questions that were hard to answer, but I didn't want to lie.

"Since before I joined the team" I answered "It's all common knowledge where I am from"

They didn't seem as concerned as I would have thought they would be.

"If he hasn't said anything by now, then we can probably trust him." Green Arrow decided "I guess as you already know, I'm Oliver Queen".

The others exchanged nods.

"I'm Diana Prince." Wonder Woman introduced herself.

"Hal Jordan." Green Lantern as he passed by.

"John Jones." Martian Manhunter said as he also passed by.

By the looks of things Green Lantern and the Manhunter were off on some sort of business.

"You already know my human name, I'm sure, but on Krypton I was called Kal-El." Superman smiled.

From that point on everyone seemed to relax a little and I got the sense things were going to be okay for me with this time. Although only time would really tell.

"Now let's give you the tour" Superman said as he led me over to what seemed to be the command and control for this space station "You have a lot to learn before we put you to work".

I didn't doubt, and I was happy to hear it. I really spent too much time alone, it was time to get back into the world.


	36. Boxing Day

**Author Note.**

Harv Hickman was a minor character who appeared briefly in Justice League - A Knight of Shadows. Which I know is a different reality to the DC Verse of Young Justice, but I'm using him anyway.

 **DC Gothic - Young Justice**

 **Boxing Day**

 **Playboy Mansion. Outside Gotham.**

When Death of the Endless had emailed me saying that she wanted to spend some time with me on Christmas Day I'd wondered a lot about what we could do. She was the kind of person the gods feared and I was a superhero in the Justice League, it would be impossible for us to be a normal couple, maybe to even have a normal date, and by the looks of things now Dee wasn't even going to try to be a normal girlfriend.

Part of this involved spending most of Christmas Day, which had been yesterday, at the Playboy Mansion. It had been a heck of a first date, and one hell of a party. Being served turkey by bunny girls was defiantly one of the more enjoyable experiences of my life.

There were some differences between this universe and mine that went beyond supervillians and alien invasions. For starters there was no Hugh Hefner, here they had Harvey "Harv" Hickman who was an archaeologist turned magazine publisher.

Shortly after World War II, Hickman had been part of an archaeological team that had excavated some place called Castle Branek. While there he'd found a mysterious gem, which he had then taken home.

After retiring as an archaeologist, Hickman became a popular magazine publisher, a wealthy man, and a total pussy magnet. This was due to the fact that he owned the The Philosopher's Stone, which was the enchanted object he'd found. According to Dee the stone had incredible magical powers, even she didn't know everything it could do, but she did know that it could be used to make someone very successful. Such as giving them the power to become King or a billionaire playboy.

The down side was that who ever owned the stone would come a bad end, because according to Death: The Fates were totally bitches, and the more the stone was used the quicker the end would come.

However Harv Hickman hadn't used it much, he hadn't tried to take over the world or even to make things too easy for himself, sure the stone was the source of his success, but he'd also put a lot of work into his business empire.

Sadly no one escaped their fate, and Harv Hickman was due to die soon. Dee could see every possible death for a person, and while many of those ends could be avoided there was always one that couldn't be. She was going to collect his soul soon enough.

Another weird thing about Harv was that he knew Death of the Endless for who she really was. It had something to with owning the Philosopher's Stone, it gave a person more awareness of the supernatural forces that moved behind the scenes.

He also had some kind of understanding of people's natures that made it easy for him to get a person to like him. It wasn't any kind of mental or magical manipulation the stone gave him good fortune, that along with his natural charisma and insights meant he'd gained many friends over the years. Including myself.

Harv had invited me back to the mansion during his Xmas party, and now I was here again on Boxing Day, getting a tour. I had no idea what interest the man could have in me, beyond the fact that I was connected to Death herself, but I got the impression that she was the only reason why I was here.

"Where did you learn magic tricks like that?" Harv Hickman asked me as we looked around his large home "I've seen enough stage acts to know real magic when I see it".

Despite the fact that this was a world with flying men up in the sky and mad scientists with death rays, most people still thought magic was all smoke and mirrors.

Unlike most of the guys and girls on stage I used real magic, and like anyone who had spent time studying the arcane arts I'd picked up a few spells that when used the right way could dazzle an audience. As such when the Xmas party had started to get a little dull, I'd performed a few tricks to help keep things going.

"I've done some travelling, and I've picked up a few things along the way" I told Harv as we admired some of the framed photos on the walls "I imagine you have to".

Judging by just some on the people he'd met I figured Harv was privy to information most of the public would never know about. He'd been, and perhaps still was, close to former and current leaders of this nation, CEO's, actors, well known writers, performers, supermodels, and a lot of musicians.

"You know, I couldn't help but notice some places around here that could do with some maintenance" I said, in an attempt to change the subject.

The place was nice, actually it was amazing, but it was also old. Big homes like this needed more than maids service, it needed some real TLC and some elbow grease.

"I know." Harv said, with a frown. "All the workers I hire get distracted. Do you know how hard it is to find a good gay DIY man?"

That was not something I'd ever thought about. Now that I was thinking about it, I could see the problem. Men would be distracted, and it would insane to send a bunny up a stepladder in those high heals, and if they took them off they wouldn't be bunnies.

"Well... I'm not gay" I said to Harv "but I think I could manage to do some work here without nailing my own hand to the wall".

The bunnies were cute, and they weren't just for looking at, a few I'd spoken to yesterday were interesting young ladies. I'd learned that many of them only worked part time and had scholarships to local colleges paid for by Harv, and many of the other women who pranced around the place during parties had important jobs both within the Playboy company and outside of it. As such they were pleasant to talk to, and very sociable, therefore even a gay man would be distracted by them.

"You noticed the stain did you?" Harv replied with a grin.

I'd not just been trained by monks to be an assassin, which was a job that involved tracking targets not just stabbing them. I was also being mentored by the Batman so I was rather good at seeing things other people didn't. Like a dried blood stain, it was party hidden by a painting so my guess was that someone must of had an accident with a hammer and nail.

"I hired a painter, but you know." Harv said with a shrug.

Even a gay or female decorator would be distracted here. They might not stare at the bunnies, but there were celebrities passing through all the time from what I understood. Then there was the artwork, the entertainment systems, the pets, and the bunnies seemed to have a super power which involved knowing not only who didn't have a drink in hand, but also exactly where that person was and what they would like to drink. I was just glad that they were only serving me soft drinks. They seemed to know I wasn't much for booze, at least during day light hours.

"Do you know much about looking after a large property?" Harv asked me.

In fact I did as the monks I'd lived with had taught me more than a few things, I knew about gardening, cleaning, cooking, I could do basic DIY at least, and I most importantly I was able to ignore distractions when I needed to work, which was more to do with the assassin training than anything else.

"Well I work part time for Bruce Wayne" I told Harv "Since he became mayor he's had me taking care of things for him".

Mostly that was running errands, nothing to do with his manor house, but I didn't want to talk about my time with the monks as none of this had anything to do with Azreal.

"Tell you what, you spend a couple of hours seeing what you can do around the place" Harv said "and afterwards come see me in my office".

I figured he was going to offer me a job, and while I had one already, Superman had advised me to get a life outside of being Azrael. Perhaps being caretaker at the playboy mansion could be that life.

(Line Break)

"So, what was it you wanted to see me about?" I asked Harv Hickman as we sat down in the older man's study.

I'd gotten two hours work done despite the distractions, and as it had turned out the monks really had taught me more than how to fight people while dressed in leather.

"I'll be honest with you kid" Harv said. "Things haven't been going all that great for me for a while now. Readership is down in all of my magazines and my franchises are starting to bleed money, even my parties aren't what they used to be. Worse of all this house, a culmination of my years of hard work, is starting to fall apart".

While I didn't know about the franchises I had noticed that the house was in bad shape. There were no serious problems like dry mould, dampness or fire damage, it was a lot of little things that for now weren't that noticeable but would be in time. Window frames needed replacing, hinges were rusting, many rooms needed new wallpaper, and a few of the power outlets weren't working.

"I know Death told you about the The Philosopher's Stone" Harv was now saying "And how the owner always meets a bad end sooner or later. That's more to do with Destiny of the Endless than Death, but she's been a part of my life too".

My nod was all the conformation the man needed. This was good because I didn't have any words. Harv was very well connected, and I was worried that he knew about me running around Gotham night in armour like a deranged cos-player.

"Well I was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago" I was then told "I'll be lucky to last six months, if I carry on the way I am now it will less than three before I die".

While Dee had said he was going to snuff it soon, it was only now that the fact was sinking in.

"Damn." I said softly. "I'm sorry to hear that Harv".

I was immortal, Death herself had confirmed this, so it was expected that I would outlive everyone I knew now, I just hadn't thought that I'd have face that so soon. Harv had a way of making you like him, and I knew already that I would miss him when he was gone.

"Even with the best treatments, I won't be able to keep doing my job for more than a couple of months at most" Harv said.

With that his mood changed, he was still serious, it was just that now it was about something other than himself.

"Now, I've already started consolidating my businesses and whittling down things to a bare minimum so that it can function without me" Harv was now saying "and most of the work is all done on computers these days now so running my business empire isn't the chore it used to be. I've got good people in charge of the websites".

I was ensure why he was telling me all this.

"But there are some things you can't do on a computer" Harv stated "That's what the parties are for, deals are hashed out here while people play in the pool, new contacts are forged over drinks, most of the women will only agree to be photographed once they've met me and have seen that the magazine isn't just a skin rag".

I had read a Playboy magazine many years ago. It wasn't really a porn mag, the pictures were sexy, but it had more substance than other top shelf magazines. There were articles, interviews, even short essays.

"What I want from you is to take over the house" Harv declared "and to help keep the business going. Host the parties, make the deals, get people to see that Playboy can help their careers, and of course make sure that when its time to leave the bunnies have somewhere to go".

I was understandably stunned.

"You want me to live here?" I asked.

It wasn't sinking in.

"Not just you." Harv grinned. "The girls too. Oh there will be girls".

I wondered what Death would have to say about that. She must have know this could happen. Maybe she'd help set this all in motion.

"Mostly I just want you to take care of the place" Harv said to me "have the parties here on the holidays. Keep it a happy place. I don't want it to be remembered the house I died in. I don't want it full of nurses, and to end up in my bedroom hooked up to a life support machine".

Hopefully he was going somewhere for proper medical treatment. If his couldn't be saved then at least he should be made as comfortable as possible.

"I'm leaving the business side of things to my daughters, and to some friends of mine" Harv informed me "However the house is yours, the legacy too. Most people just come here to party, which I don't mind really, but it needs someone to care for it, to actually live in it".

By now I was starting to understand what he was actually giving me. I might not get the businesses, but I've have the reputation. As for the money, well I had my own wealth and could get more.

"This is awfully generous of you" I said "Why me?".

Harv explained that had no sons, at least not any he knew about. His daughters could run the business, but it was doubtful they'd want to live in this house. Plus someone needed to make sure the bunnies didn't end up living on the street.

"I've been keeping an eye on the talent in this town for a while now" Harv replied "Gotham might be a cesspool, but its the only place on Earth that has the people my business needs. The sad part is there's no one here I'd trust not to sell the house the second I was gone, and I do love this place. Besides you come highly recommended, not people can say that Death herself would provide a reference".

Given that Dee knew all possible futures for everyone she must know me rather well even if my own future wasn't clear to her. How I impacted other lives must at least be partly known to her.

"I'm not exactly qualified" I pointed out.

Harv didn't seem concerned.

"I'm not dead yet" he reminded me "I need to step back and take care of myself, and I need to leave for somewhere I can be taken care of sooner rather than later, but as long as I don't push myself there's no reason I can't be here to show you the ropes. Thanks to Death I've had some time to prepare for this so don't get yourself too worked up, you can do this".

Even though Harv had a charm to him that made me like him, and while I was sure he meant everything he'd said I was still feeling overwhelmed by all this. Which was understandable, and actually good because I hadn't really been feeling much of anything recently.

"Thanks, I think" were the words that came out my mouth.

Harv chuckled.

"It'll be a lot of work" he said "but it'll be worth it. I've had a lot of good times in this place, soon it'll be your turn".

If Bruce Wayne could run Wayne Enterprises, be Mayor of Gotham, a member of the Justice League, and still find a few hours spare to patrol as Batman then I could run this household. Granted I'd need help, and I'd have to learn a lot quickly, but I was a super hero. I could manage this place, I could even use it help people.

"Then there's the stone" Harv went on to say "My daughters might take a few things from the house, and I've re-written my will to make sure they don't take everything, but the stone needs to stay here. Its dangerous and anyone else who takes might abuse its power. I've been lucky, and smart enough not to use it more than I really needed to, but that doesn't mean the next person to use it won't get into trouble. That's why I want you to have it. Death told me your an immortal, and that you already have power, so you'd be less likely to use it for selfish reasons, and even it you did well it can't get you killed".

He really was handing over his legacy for me to carry on and protect. More so than Batman. It was very flattering to say the least.

"Thanks Harv" I said sincerely "and I really mean that".

My words made the man laugh.

"Don't thank me, the power bills for this place are a real bitch." Harv warned me with a gleam in his eye.

I'd have to ask Cyborg to put in a generator, maybe something nuclear.

(Line Break)

Given his limited amount of time left on this plane of existence, Harv wasn't sticking around to push papers around an office, he'd gone out to met some people, to say his goodbyes I guessed, and he had left me to familiarise myself with the household as best I could. Not the people, I'd worry about them later, for now I was trying to understand the job I was being given.

If I understood everything right I would not have much to do with the Playboy business. I'd be more of a figurehead, actually the mansion would be the figurehead really. It was the house that mattered, here was where the fundraisers would be held, this was where the VIPs would mingle, deals would be made, playmates would get introduced, and the parties would keep the company within the notice of those who might want to advertise their products and services within the still famous magazine.

Then there was the practical stuff. Keeping the bar stocked, the kitchen cupboards full, the house clean, the staff paid and making sure there was enough toilet paper in the bathrooms. This all added up to a lot of money, which would be paid for by the Playboy empire, as would my salary. I would work for the for the business in reality.

Also there was the repair work, not all of which I could handle by myself, I need to make sure the place was kept up to code. I'd have to empty the place of people for a few weeks, so that I could gut the place, fix it up and then redecorate. I'd make it my own while still honouring the past.

Which I soon realised would be easier than imagined. Once Harv died people would accept the mansion closing down for a month or two. I'd have to make arrangements for the people who lived here, and Harv didn't want his bunnies ending up unemployed so I've have to pay them even though they weren't working.

This was all going to cost a lot of money, and since the company was only going to give me a limited budget to work with I'd end up paying for a lot of the expenses. I had money, but I wasn't a millionaire, I'd have to have find out if the Order of Dumars had any more accounts I could drawn upon. Perhaps I'd even have to sell the extensive wine collection. And if that failed well I'd go as far as to steal from bad people. Drug dealers always had cash on them.

Since I was going to stop working for Bruce Wayne I couldn't just go to him for money, that would just be rude, but I was sure he would be able to help in other ways. If nothing else I could ask Alfred Pennyworth about how he ran such a big house.

Then I wondered if it was time to force Talia al Ghul to pay me back for all the crap she and her father had put me through. If I'd had any control over the company I wouldn't risk it, but letting Talia Head, the business woman into the playboy mansion might be a good thing. If nothing else I could keep a close eye on her.

Now I was realising why Harv didn't want to hand over the house to one of his kids or a friend, any mortal in my place would be driven to use the stone, but I was Azrael the Avenging Angel I could fight super villains and come back from the dead. No house no matter how large was going to defeat me.

"Do you like your present?" a female voice asked me.

I looked up to see a woman sitting on the other side of the desk, only she wasn't really a woman, she wasn't even human. She, for lack of a better word, was Death of the Endless, in all her goth chick glory.

"Not sure if it is a present or a burden" I replied.

This amused Dee.

"Well I don't want you to enjoy it too much" she said "but you should be grateful that I set this all into motion for you. Bet no one else got you mansion filled with sexy young women as a Christmas present".

Oddly no one had, not that I'd gotten many gifts, I didn't exactly have a lot of friends anymore. Although this time next year I figured I'd either be buried alive in gifts or on the streets so either way I might need a new mansion.

"Why did you arrange this?" I enquired.

It seemed a strange thing to do by someone who wanted to date me. It was like shooting yourself in the foot at the start of a race.

"We're both immortal and we're not the only ones" Dee started to explain "But unlike the others you've not lived long enough for it sink in. There will come a day when you'll want to keep your distance from people because you'll have to watch them go grow old and die. For now that doesn't matter, and I want you enjoy your life as if it wasn't going to run out some day soon".

I figured that wasn't all their was to it, and I was right.

"And I'm in this for the long haul" Dee was now saying "I've been with immortals before and trust me when I tell you we're going to want lives separate from each other. I have my very important job, and you'll have this place. It should keep you busy for the next decade or so until people start to notice your not ageing. Then you'll move on, and I'll still be here when you do need to start living like an immortal".

While not exactly comforting that did make sense to me. I would age a little, reaching my peek and then just stop. It would be years before anyone really noticed. A first people would just think I was keeping my looks, but that wouldn't last.

"Then there's the whole children issue" Death of the Endless went on to say "I can't have kids, you and I will never have a family like that. But there's no reason you can't go and reproduce and that will be easier if I don't expect you to be devoted to me".

I now had a question.

"So I'm free to do what I want?" I asked.

Sex was starting to feel appealing again. It was hard not to think about such things with so many boobs around.

"Well I want to spend time with you" Dee said "but yes consider yourself free. Just don't hook up with anyone else who is immortal, and if you do want to get married I can back off for a few decades".

This all seemed to favour me a lot more than her.

"And what's in all this for you?" I wondered.

Dee smiled again.

"Well there's you" she said "I get lonely sometimes, it'll be nice to know that I have someone to be with when I need someone, we'll just keep things causal between us. You know date for a while".

Before I could say anything else Death was gone, and I was left wondering if she had everything between us very well planned out. I decided not to worry about that and focus on the problem I had right now. Which mostly had to do with fixing up the Playboy Mansion while also being a member of the Justice League who protected Gotham, it was going to be a lot of work.

But at least I wouldn't be bored.


	37. New Years

**Author Note**

I've decided to finally end this story. I had fun with it, but its time to move on. I might do a sequel set in season 2 if someone sponsors it.

 **Young Justice 1**

 **New Years**

 **Mount Justice. Happy Harbour.**

"Somehow the bad guys are still getting inside Intel about us." Robin said.

I had come here to find out if anyone (well anyone over 18) wanted to come to New Year's Eve party I was suppose to attend at the Playboy mansion, only as soon as I'd arrive it turned out that I just in time for an important meeting. Not that I'd been invited to any meetings recently so again I found myself behind on what was going on.

"Yeah, but at least we know none of us are the mole." Kid Flash said

We all walked into the main to see Batman and Red Tornado waiting for us.

"That is correct." Batman agreed as he brought up a picture of my friend Roy Harper on the holographic computer. "The mole was Red Arrow."

Everyone started at the picture in shock.

"Roy?" Robin asked.

"No way!" Kid Flash said.

"Batman that cannot be. He was Green Arrow's protégé. We have all known him for years." Aqualad said.

There were more reactions along those lines.

"Ok, I haven't known him for that long" was what I had to say "but I agree with everyone else. Red Arrow can't be a traitor, he's fought besides me, he wouldn't betray us like this".

Sure he could be jerk, and he way too much luck with the ladies for my taste, however he had gone on missions alongside me. He was a brother in arms.

"Unfortunately, the Roy Harper we have known for the last three years is another Project Cadmus clone." Red Tornado told us.

The robot then gestured to a picture of the Cadmus building he'd brought up on the display.

"We've learned the real Speedy was abducted and replaced immediately after becoming Green Arrow's sidekick." Batman informed while bringing up a picture of a young Speedy. "The clone was programmed with the drive to join the Justice League, which is why he was so angry when we delayed his joining, and why he refused to join the Team. It was only later when we told him that it was his inability to work as part of group that was keeping him out of the League did he join Azrael's team".

That seemed like very weak evidence to me.

"This Roy Harper had no idea he was a clone or a traitor, and his subconscious program drove him to become League worthy. So he struck out on his own as Red Arrow. When he was finally admitted, his secondary programming kicked in and he attempted to betray the League to Vandal Savage" Batman went on to say "Fortunately, I had already deduced that Red Arrow was a clone. As such we were prepared".

So Vandal Savage was active and working against the League, most likely he was a member of the criminal organisation that Ra's al Ghul had admitted being allied with.

"Savage was subdued, but Red Arrow escaped. He is now a fugitive, to be considered armed and dangerous." Red Tornado added.

Superboy suddenly looked very nervous.

"If you guys hadn't rescued me and my sister from Cadmus…"

He trailed off quickly and soon the subject when back to Roy

"Then what happened to the real Roy?" the Boy Wonder enquired.

As far as I was concerned Red Arrow was the real Roy, I'd never met the other one.

"We don't know. He isn't at Cadmus" the dark knight replied "We have to face the possibility that the real Roy Harper is dead."

Zatanna, the new magic user in the group, placed a hand on Robin's shoulder in comfort, and Artemis went to do the same with Kid Flash. For a moment I really missed Colette, but only for a moment.

"The clone Roy, the Team will find him." Aqualad announced boldly.

If he didn't want to be found he wouldn't be. Although Jade might know, as she was carrying his baby. Hopefully she was okay.

"Negative, Red Arrow's a member of the Justice League now. Leave him to us." Batman said after closing down the holograms "Now I'm needed at the Watchtower. Tornado, stay with the kids."

With that, Batman left.

"That's weird" I commented "I haven't been called up the Watchtower and I'm in the League too".

Before anyone could remark on that Red Tornado suddenly reached out to Aqualad's neck, looking as if he was going to attack, but as he did, he shut down.

"Tornado!" Megan said.

This was also weird.

"What happened to him?" Superboy asked.

Robin began scanning Red Tornado,

"He's totally powered down, all functions offline." Robin said astonished.

Weirder and weirder

"Guys, I'm sensing a low mystic force at play. I don't know if it caused his shut down but now that I think about it, I was getting the same buzz off Batman." Megan said.

Now even weirder and weirder.

"Batman... He called us kids. He never does that." Robin pointed out.

That was Superboy drew our attention

"Look, there's something in Tornado's hand" he said.

Kid Flash took it.

"One of those bio-chips we confiscated off Deathstroke" He informed.

Again it seemed like I'd missed out on something important.

"Something is not right." Aqualad said, going into leader mode and thinking of a quick plan. "Robin, Kid, Zatanna, see if you can get Tornado back online. The rest will go with me to find Ro- Red Arrow."

I decided to head to the monastery. Batman would have checked there I was sure, but he didn't know the place like I did. He might have missed a clue. Besides if I was going in combat soon, and I knew that I would, I had to change into my armour and gather my weapons. Plus I was more of a lone wolf these days I worked best along.

(Line Break)

Monastery. Outside Gotham.

It wasn't that hard to track down Red Arrow, he was waiting for me in the wine cellar that led to my version of the Batcave.

"How did Batman not find you?" I asked.

He should have. The fact that he hadn't was further indication that something was wrong with the Caped Crusader.

"I just got here" Roy told me "I've been moving around I wasn't sure who I can trust, but I don't think they can control you".

Now I was confused again.

"Controlling who?" I asked while going down in the cave so I could get my armour and weapons "The mole?".

Roy often looked angry, now he seemed sad, even his mask did little to hide that.

"I was the mole" he admitted.

Red Arrow then sighed.

"I was a sleeper agent, programmed to infiltrate the League" he told me "There was a key phrase, broken arrow, it doesn't work now, but when it the words would shut me down. Put me in a hypnotic state so I'd share Intel".

Now I had an important question.

"How did Batman discover this, and prevent you from betraying the League?" I asked.

Red Arrow tensed

"He didn't" the archer said "The entire League is under the complete mental domination of Vandal Savage. His method is something Savage referred to as Starro-tech. An alien bio-organism fused with nanotechnology and magic. It somehow allows Savage to program an individual to suit his needs".

That might explain why I'd not been called to the tower, perhaps Savage feared it wouldn't work on me due to my mental defences. That or I just wasn't part of his plans.

"But there's no Starro-tech messing with my mind. Just my Cadmus programming" Red Arrow told me as I finished putting on my armour "And once I'd satisfied its last parameter, my mind began to clear. I'm sure Savage planned to put Starro-tech me, but he paused to gloat and I escaped".

Now that last part I believed. It was a typical villain mistake.

"We're going to need some info and a few things" I said to Roy before addressing thin air "Dee I need you".

Red Arrow had his bow in hand a spilt second after Death of the Endless appeared. To be fair a goth chick materialising before your eyes is going to make a man jumpy.

"Don't bother buddy" I said to Roy "You couldn't hurt her if you tried, and she's no threat to you".

Dee seemed amused by that.

"I'm not going to fight your battles for you" she told me after I'd ensured she knew what was going on "but if you need a little help I guess I can help".

She wasn't suppose to get involved in the whole good verses evil thing, and I accepted that, however if she wanted to be girlfriend for the rest of time, or however long I had, then she could at least give me some support even if she didn't get directly involved.

"Who is this woman?" Roy asked.

This would be an odd introduction to make.

"Red Arrow met Death of the Endless, she's basically the grim reaper, only nice and girl shaped" I said.

Which was more of less the truth, and again Dee was amused.

"She's Death" Roy asked "As in the scythe and the whole 'Your time has come deal?" he asked.

Dee answered this time.

"More or less" she said "I do have a scythe, but I'd ditched the whole creepy skeleton look a while back".

She may or may not have been joking. I was sure I didn't want to know.

"Right so we need something that will neutralise this Starro tech, drive away Savage and his allies, all without damaging the Watchtower" I said to both Roy and Dee "Any ideas?".

Death of the Endless smiled at me, then she took one of my many grenades, did some funky magic on it, and handed it to me.

"This should do the trick" she told me "It will banish the bad guys, but not harm them, and free your hero friends. Just shout :deus ex machina when you want it go off. Oh and you owe me for this lover boy".

Well it would be anti-climatic, but since I had no intention of letting the villains win I'd use it.

"It can't be that simply" Red Arrow stated "Savage has got...".

I didn't let him finish.

"She's Death, Roy" I said "The real deal, the gods themselves do tremble before her, if she says this will work then it will work".

Dee nodded.

"It will work, but don't think I'll be there to pick you up every time you fall" she warned "Needy men aren't very attractive".

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Thank you, dear" I said to Dee, before turning to face Roy "Come on let's go deal with the baddies".

We didn't leave right away.

"Wait if you are Death then you should know if the real Roy Harper is alive or not" said Red Arrow "You would have reaped him or whatever, right?".

I hadn't thought to ask that.

"He's alive" Death told us "And you'll find him, more than that I won't say".

Higher powers were rarely that helpful, even if you were dating them turned out, but she had given me what I needed, the rest was up to Roy and I.

(Line Break)

Watchtower. Orbit.

"Recognise. Azrael 21. Red Arrow 22" the machine voice called out.

Roy Harper and I walked into the main control room of the Watchtower and Vandal Savage was here to not so warmly welcome us. As was that stupid Witch-kid boy guy. Karien or whatever his name was.

Also I spied Doctor Fate, Huntress, Black Canary, and a few people I knew of only a little, hanging around looking rather zombie like. They'd be more than enough to clean up this madness once I was done.

"We know exactly who's infected and who's not! And none of you are!" the magic user shouted "Fate seize them!".

Golden bands soon prevented me from moving. So now Red Arrow and I were being held captive rather being killed right away. The kid was even stroking a cat, how cliche could you get.

"That is easily rectified." Savage said with a smirk as he reached for a suitcase, that I didn't doubt was filled with those control chip "Fifty thousand years of life, and nothing's ever troubled me like the founding of the Justice League. A group of short sighted men and men dedicated to maintaining society's calcified status quo".

I wondered if I should let him finish the speech or not. It would be rude not to.

"The League would protect mankind from disaster, crime, tragedy of any kind." said Savage continuing his speech "Have you never heard of the survival of the fittest? In essence, you heroes have sought to protect humanity from its own glorious evolution. As such, you forced my more enlightened colleagues and myself to organise a response. We created a network of operatives, placed key individuals in key positions, and made sure we were on the cutting edge of all new technologies".

Villains always love the sound of their own voices.

"Genetic engineering, bio-chemical engineering, robotics, nano-robotics, even techno-sorcery, not to mention every conceivable method of mind control. Cold hard science and a little misdirection and now you champions of stagnation are our agents of change, forcing the human race to evolve on a more advanced schedule. Allowing the earth to take its rightful place at the center of the cosmos." Vandal ended.

I'd had enough.

"Bored now" I said "Deus Ex Machina!".

(Line Break)

Monastery. Outside Gotham.

"That was all rather anti-climatic" Roy said after we had zeta tubed back to my base "We.. well you saved the League and sent the bad guys away with no effort at all".

This was what had just happened.

"The Team and the League can clean up the mess" was what I replied "Me, I have a party to get to".

I was already changing. Neither Roy or I cared much about stripping off in front of each other. I'd seen his balls get hooked up to a car battery, after that there was much we could do to embarrasses each other.

"Do you want to come with" I offered "I should have a spare suit around here somewhere. They'll be drinks, bunny girls, and celebrities. I'm sure Jade won't mind you partying a little after what happened. We can start looking for Speedy tomorrow.".

Although he should call his girlfriend and let her know he was okay. As for Speedy I was sure that between us we would find him.

"About that" Roy said as he began to change "How did you end up with an invite to that place?".

I hadn't had chance to tell him about that.

"Its mine more or less" I said "Don't tell anyone this, Harv is dying and he wants to me take over the house when he does. The company is someone elses, but I get the house. I'll be hosting the parties and looking after the place".

Roy was understandably intrigued.

"I think Jade will be okay with me visiting" he said.

She'd shared him with Blackfire so it was unlikely she'd care if Roy looked at a few attractive women. He wouldn't have sex with any of them, he wasn't the love em and leave em type. I on the other hand would.

"Well she can visit to" I said "I plan to make some changes once I'm in charge of the house".

I then checked the time and realised how late it was.

"Come on let's take a zeta tube into Gotham, and then take a Taxi to the mansion".

We had a fun night a head of us and I for one did not want to miss more of the party than I had to. It was the end of this year, tonight, and the start of a new one, time to celebrate. Then tomorrow we could worry about the future and about what happened to both our friends and enemies.


End file.
